2018 NBA Draft: Who is Deandre Ayton?
By Simon Hannig
University of Arizona center Deandre Ayton is one of the players the Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to keep their eyes on ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have plenty of options if the Brooklyn Nets draft pick lands in the top five selections of the 2018 NBA Draft and it’s looking more than likely it will. Today, we’re going to look at a player the Cavaliers could use that pick on in Arizona Wildcats superstar center, Deandre Ayton.
Ayton will be one of the most talented centers to come into the NBA. At Arizona, Ayton is averaging 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.6 assists and 0.6 steals in 33.4 minutes per game while shooting 61.6 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three.
This guy is 7-foot-1. Now that is insane.
Ayton has been projected to go number one overall in multiple mock drafts. I’m very high on Ayton and think he’ll have a chance to be one of top centers in the league within two-three years.
He passes the eye test and the stats test. He does everything you need from a center and then some.
I’ve seen people compare Ayton to David Robinson and Patrick Ewing and that fits because Ayton is a once in a generation type of talent. He’s an athletic freak of nature and as dominant a force in the paint as there is.
DraftExpress, the premier website for scouting NBA draft prospects, did a scouting video on Ayton that you can watch below:
In the video, they said he has the potential to be a franchise center in the NBA.
As I alluded to earlier, I agree that he has the potential to be a franchise center in the NBA and I think he will live up to that expectation and then some — he is that good and the Cavs would be lucky to be able to draft him.
What I see in him is he is an excellent rebounder, great at finishing around the rim and his post-game is excellent.
Seemingly, no one can handle him in the post. This video shows that:
He just abuses people down in the low post, pushing them out of the way. He also has a soft touch around the rim, and this video proves it.
He is also a great rim-protector.
These videos just prove what type of player Ayton can be in the NBA.
He still has plenty of room to improve his game, which is scary.
Cavs fans need to pay close attention to Ayton during March Madness because you might be looking at your future starting center.
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*All stats gathered from sports-reference.com