Portland Trail Blazers: Dame on the recruiting trail for a top center
Chris Phillips
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Examining Ayton
Ayton is a former number 1 overall draft pick for the Phoenix Suns. They chose the almost seven-footer over the likes of Luka Doncic, who just ousted Phoenix, Trae Young, and Jaren Jackson Jr., to name a few. It’s hard not to think how Arizona would look with Doncic or Young were paired with Devin Booker. However, it’s also hard to fault them for taking Ayton with the top pick.
Just search the internet for highlights videos. Ayton will quickly get you excited, and you’ll want him on your team. Some scouts even compared him to Shawn Kemp and Tim Duncan. NBADraft.net has a good scouting report on the young center:
“Generational talent…Already has an NBA ready body, and a physique ideally designed for the game of basketball … Moves exceptionally well for his size … Runs the floor well and really excels in the transition … Plays physical, showing a willingness to bang and seek out contact … He’s capable of reliably hitting open jumpers, even developing a three-point game (34.3% on 1 attempt per game) … Has very good hands … Has good form on his shot, shooting 73.3% from the foul line”
I’d say Ayton has lived up to most of the expectations. For his career, he’s averaging just under 31 minutes per game, shooting just under 60% (59) from the field, 75% from the free-throw line, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.7 steals, one block, and 16.3 points per game. Taking it a step further, his Per 100 possession (which is an estimate of how many points a team does when a particular player is on the floor) shows that Phoenix’s offense rating is 120 and defensive rating is 109.
He’s a true productive double/double player. And his defense is good, too; Ayton was a top 20 center in plus/minus.
Just so we’re clear,
The Suns drafted DeAndre Ayton with the No. 1 pick, refused to offer him a max deal when he was eligible, and now might lose him for nothing in free agency this summer?
Yikes. pic.twitter.com/lZZoiEZFHQ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 17, 2022