Why Deandre Ayton is the better NBA Prospect than Luka Doncic

It is not often a player like Deandre Ayton graces basketball fans everywhere, but the Arizona phenom enters the 2018 NBA Draft with major upside.

NBA GM’s, Executives and Scouts are in a good position this year. The 2018 NBA Draft is loaded with talent, and none perhaps more talented than our very own, Deandre Ayton!

He delighted everyone who had the chance to watch the once in a generation type-of talent this past year. In his lone season in Tucson, the seven-foot big man, put up BIG numbers, averaging just over 20 points, and 11 rebounds per game.

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Perhaps more impressive, is that Ayton has only been playing basketball since the age of 12. Then standing an impressive 6-feet-5-inches, Ayton would begin his path to greatness.

His meteoric rise to eventual college stardom is still fairly recent, but Ayton continues to improve year-after-year, possessing unbelievable upside and potential.

Heading into the NBA Draft this Thursday, the presumptive No. 1 pick is ready to go! For the Phoenix Suns, let’s just hope they are as well.

In the weeks leading up to the draft, a lot has been debated as to who should go No. 1 overall. Ayton, or someone else. That someone else perhaps being Luka Doncic.

The European star who hails from Slovenia has been making a name for himself for some time, having played on Real Madrid since the age of 16.

Now 19, Doncic has positioned himself to become a top pick in this years’ draft. So much, that there has been debate as to whether Doncic should go ahead of Ayton.

To add more intrigue, the Suns’ newly hired coach Igor Kokoškov, coached Doncic and the Slovenian national team in 2016-17. That team won the 2017 EuroBasket championship.

There is certainly familiarity with player and coach there, and perhaps that is what the Suns’ organization is considering entering Thursday night.

I unfortunately feel that drafting Doncic would be a mistake. That’s not to say that Doncic is a terrible player, just drafting him would not be wise for the Suns.

Unless the organization is looking to swap the pick and a player or two for a superstar who could impact the team quickly, the Suns need to draft on need. Their need? A dominant big man who could change the face of their organization.

Drawing comparisons to former NBA greats like David Robinson and even Shawn Kemp, it’s safe to say players like Ayton don’t come along often.

The measurable’s are there! Standing a massive 7-feet tall and 260 pounds with a 7-foot-5-inch wingspan, the 19-year-old NBA prospect also has an impressive 43.5-inch vert.

He’s incredibly quick on the court, he’s a great rebounder, he shows willingness as a passer and isn’t afraid to pass out of a double team. Perhaps more impressive is his offense, he’s also a strong finisher around the rim, and shows good range as a shooter, having connected on 34 percent of his 35 three-point attempts this past season.

Compared to Doncic, he’s completely different player. Doncic is a sturdy, 6-foot-6-inch guard/forward combo with great play making ability, good court vision and passing ability. The only thing is European players tend to be a bit risky.

Sure we can draw blanketed comparisons of other European stars, citing the successes of Kristaps Porzingis, Dirk Nowitzki, and Peja Stojakovic among others. Unfortunately, for every successful European player that has been heavily hyped, many have been underwhelming too!

Only thing is Doncic isn’t like most other hyped European players, he is youthful and experienced. Dubbed a basketball prodigy, he was the youngest player to debut for Real Madrid in Liga ACB (Spain’s top tier League) back in 2015.

This past season, he was a winner of the EuroLeague Rising Star Award, and was also named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP en route to helping the club win their 10th EuroLeague title.

While his resume and basketball pedigree certainly speaks for itself, it is as we stated before, the Suns need to draft on need, not pedigree.

Sure Doncic could provide some much needed talent and depth to the Suns’ roster, it’s just that Phoenix already has a log jam of minutes at the guard/forward position with starters Devin Booker and Josh Jackson. Moving Doncic to point guard wouldn’t be wise either, since he’s not a point guard at the next level

Comparatively speaking, just on athleticism and talent alone, you have to go with Ayton. He’s easily the most physically gifted player in this draft, and in the NBA, you draft on potential and upside, not just what you were able to accomplish on a different team.

And if we’re comparing Ayton to other successful NBA big men that left college recently, Ayton is in elite company.

https://twitter.com/ArizonaNBA/status/1004464716427624448

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Regardless of what happens Thursday, we wish both players the best moving forward in their careers! Bear Down, Deandre, and Bear Down, Arizona!