NBA Draft 2018 Rumors: Should Arizona Wildcats' DeAndre Ayton Be the Number One Player on the Phoenix Suns' Board?
Suns currently have the best odds of landing the first overall pick in the upcoming draft
It's been a rough past few years for the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns' franchise has not endured a stretch of futility quite like the one they are experiencing now.
The Suns are already guaranteed to miss the playoffs for an eighth straight season, and they are also going to post their fourth consecutive losing campaign, with the latest one on pace to be the worst of the bunch from a winning percentage standpoint.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The only consolation prize for the Suns here is that they are going to receive a high pick in the upcoming draft, with Tankathon.com indicating that they have the best odds to land the first overall selection.
Should the Suns indeed end up with the first overall selection in the draft, they will then have to answer the question of which prospect is worthy of taking with that ultra-valuable pick.
Three players, in particular, have been mentioned as potential first overall selections, with those being Real Madrid's Luka Doncic, the Duke Blue Devils' Marvin Bagley III and the Arizona Wildcats' DeAndre Ayton.
By now, Ayton could be the prospect the franchise is most familiar with given where he played his lone season of college ball, and there are other reasons why he is likely on the Suns' radar.
Thanks in large part to the kind of season Ayton put together at the University of Arizona, he has made a case for himself to be the first player taken overall.
Ayton averaged a meaty double-double this past season — 20.1 points per game and 11.6 rebounds, per Sports Reference — and his versatility on offense will only help him succeed at the next level.
To top that all off, Ayton himself has expressed an interest in playing for the Suns.
Speaking recently to CBS Sports Radio Ayton said that he could see himself in Phoenix, The Bright Side of the Sun reported. Ayton even noted that he thinks there is a "little Shaq and Kobe 2.0" potential with him and Suns guard Devin Booker.
The case for the Suns to have Ayton number one on their draft board is strong, but it is not without some flaws.
Per The Ringer's draft guide, Ayton's intensity level does have a tendency to wane over the course of a game, and it's worth wondering if that is something that may still manifest when he's playing in the NBA.
It's also possible that perhaps the aforementioned Doncic or Bagley could be better fitted with what the Suns are building.
Doncic, in particular, would be an interesting addition to the team as he's another playmaker who could work well off of Booker. With Doncic in the fold, the Suns could run out a trio of playmakers with him, Booker and Josh Jackson. Having three capable playmakers on the floor at the same time could make the Suns a really difficult team to defend.
Still, if the Suns do indeed obtain the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, it's likely that Ayton will be the player they select for the reasons mentioned earlier and also because he's a big man who could be the long-term starter for the team.
Previously drafted big men like Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss have only shown of flashes of being long-term contributors and veteran Tyson Chandler will be a free agent by the end of next season.
By drafting Ayton, the Suns could acquire the talented big man they have long needed to be a foundational piece.
More news about the 2018 NBA draft should be made available soon.
