{"id":15127,"date":"2018-05-17T08:30:32","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T12:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=15127"},"modified":"2018-05-17T00:05:29","modified_gmt":"2018-05-17T04:05:29","slug":"phoenix-suns-draft-deandre-ayton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2018\/05\/17\/phoenix-suns-draft-deandre-ayton\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Phoenix Suns Should Draft Deandre Ayton First Overall"},"content":{"rendered":"

For almost a decade, the Phoenix Suns<\/a> have been awful. They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010-11 NBA season. After losing far more games than they’ve won, the Suns have been in the draft lottery every year since then. They’ve had success when it comes to drafting perimeter scorers.\u00a0Devin Booker<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>is a star in the NBA who the Suns can build around.\u00a0Booker\u00a0has raised his scoring average each year, and last year averaged 25 points per game.<\/p>\n

Last year’s first-round pick,\u00a0Josh<\/strong> Jackson<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>had a tremendous rookie season.\u00a0Jackson\u00a0finished the season very well, averaging 21 points per game in his final 12 regular season games.<\/p>\n

However, when it comes to drafting and developing big men, Phoenix has not been as successful. In previous drafts<\/a>, the Suns used top-10 picks on big men Alex Len<\/a><\/strong>, Marquese Chriss<\/a><\/strong>, and Dragan Bender<\/a><\/strong>. None of the three can be considered an outright bust, but they\u00a0certainly haven’t lived up to the expectations of such high draft selections.<\/p>\n

Why Phoenix Suns Should Draft Deandre Ayton First Overall<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Now, in a draft where\u00a0five of the top 10 players drafted\u00a0<\/a>could be big men, the Suns must choose wisely. Phoenix must draft a superstar who can play alongside Booker\u00a0and help turn around the franchise.\u00a0Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>could be great<\/a> in the NBA, but a guard isn’t the Suns’ top priority now. Helping the NBA’s worst defense\u00a0<\/a>is a bigger need. The temptation to select\u00a0Don\u010di\u0107\u00a0is there\u00a0because Phoenix’s new coach,\u00a0Igor Kokoskov,<\/strong> coached\u00a0Don\u010di\u0107\u00a0in Slovenia\u00a0<\/a>to a gold medal in last year’s European championship. However, with the first overall pick, the Phoenix Suns must select Deandre Ayton<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ayton’s presence on both ends of the court<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ayton\u00a0is a 7’1″ center who moves very quickly considering his large frame. Ayton\u00a0is the best overall big man out of the bunch projected to be picked in this year’s\u00a0lottery. He has a versatile offensive game; Ayton can knock down jumpers from the mid-range and behind the arc. His physical presence allows him to easily finish at the rim aggressively. Ayton\u00a0shot 61 percent from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc<\/a> in his only year at Arizona.<\/p>\n

If they draft Ayton, the Suns can easily slot him in as their starting center. He’d be the primary rim protector for the team, something Phoenix lacked last season. Averaging two blocks per game<\/a> in college,\u00a0Ayton\u00a0has shown he has the potential of a great shot blocker. Finishing a defensive possession with a rebound is crucial to playing good defense. Ayton snagged 11 rebounds per game at Arizona, eight of those coming on the defensive end.<\/p>\n

The dynamic duo of Booker and Ayton<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Imagine a pick-and-roll between Booker and Ayton. In that scenario, it’s pick your poison. Teams could switch and put the smaller guard on Ayton, allowing him to score in a mismatch. A switch could also allow Booker to abuse big men on the perimeter. If they don’t switch, they’d risk letting the reigning three-point contest winner, Booker,\u00a0<\/b>shoot open threes all game.<\/p>\n

Selecting a big man this early in the draft can alter a franchise’s direction. Just look at what Joel Embiid<\/a><\/strong> and Anthony Davis<\/a><\/strong> did to their teams. They brought their teams from the lottery to winning series in the playoffs this season. Placing Ayton with Booker could give\u00a0the Phoenix Suns a Shaquille O’Neal<\/a><\/strong>–Kobe Bryant<\/a><\/strong> or Shaq-Penny Hardaway<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0type of duo, which would be primed for future success.<\/p>\n

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Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>