Now that the 2018 NBA Draft is officially over, we analyze how the No. 1 Overall pick Deandre Ayton will fit within the Suns organization.
Pundits and scouts were right! After months of speculation, Deandre Ayton became the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday evening, but now that that’s over, how will Ayton fit within their system.
As of now, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Ayton won’t start immediately. He’s a towering 7-feet-1-inch and 260 pounds, with a large wingspan, great quickness, explosiveness and athleticism.
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The Suns, were BAD last season. Just how bad? They finished with just 21-wins in 82 games, their second worst record in franchise history. The organization by and large is still a bit of a mess, but with a new coach, and perhaps a new face of the team, it will be interesting to see how Ayton will be utilized moving forward.
It is worth noting, that Phoenix has young talent in Devin Booker and Josh Jackson, but beyond that, not much is known on how they will be moving forward.
Aside from drafting Ayton, the Suns also drafted Zhaire Smith who was then subsequently traded to Philadelphia for Mikal Bridges, a three-and-D player. The Suns then drafted Elie Okobo, a quick and scoring-minded point guard from Bordeaux, France and rounded out their draft by selecting George King, a lengthy guard out of Colorado.
At this point, the future at least looks promising!
Ayton is a generational talent. We all saw it in Tucson, now hopefully basketball fans everywhere can finally appreciate what he can do!
Phoenix has young talent, but they definitely need a dominant big who can change the game. By now, we are all aware of the ongoing narrative that Ayton is a poor defender, which in all honesty I feel is overstated.
The NBA values defense, but it’s not defensive-minded teams that are winning. Unless you haven’t noticed, the style of play that Golden State uses helps with their NBA dominance. The Warriors have shooters, and three guys that can easily put up 20 to 25 points per game easily.
The Suns didn’t draft Ayton because of his potential defensively, they drafted him because he’s an athletic freak of nature who could potentially become a 20 and 10 guy in the Valley. Besides I think with a bit more focus and effort, Ayton can easily become more than serviceable as a defensive player.
He will instantly bring competitiveness, intensity and most importantly spacing to Phoenix next year, and will give the Suns a viable option down low – something that has been missing since Amare Stoudamire left the franchise.
The veteran Tyson Chandler will help to mentor the young Ayton next year in Phoenix, but regardless, Ayton will have a great opportunity to make his presence known immediately.
Along with Booker and Jackson, Ayton should be able to have an immediate impact. He’s a solid shooter from beyond 10-feet, has great scoring ability down low and athleticism that should help him to adapt quickly.
Newly hired Suns coach Igor Kokoškov will have some good pieces in his first season in Phoenix, and will rely on Sean Miller a bit too, in how to coach Ayton. He also tends to be pretty flexible based on his talent his has around him, to utilize it as efficiently as possible
While it’s hard to gauge just how effective he will be in his rookie season, I can’t help but think a Rookie of the Year Award is at least possible should Ayton continue to dominate the game the way he has shown!
Watch his interview he had following his selection on Thursday night!
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At Zona Zealots, we are excited for the potential Ayton has in Phoenix and can’t wait to see how he performs in the NBA! Bear Down, Arizona!