2018 NBA Draft Player Profile: Deandre Ayton
By Connor Harr
With the 2018 NBA Draft a couple months away we breakdown Deandre Ayton’s strengths and weaknesses, who could end up being the top overall pick
Deandre Ayton has always been in the spotlight. He was always a highly touted recruit since he stepped onto the high school basketball scene. Ayton continued his dominance after being a top prospect coming out of high school at Arizona.
Averaging 20 points and 11.5 rebounds per game at Arizona, Ayton’s projected NBA future is looking bright. He ranks as the top big man on our big board and the No. 1 overall prospect.
Strengths
Physical Profile/Athleticism
Most big man prospects coming out of college usually have the athleticism, but need to spend some time in the weight room. Very seldomly does a prospect like Ayton come around that is a physical marvel. He stands at a monstrous 7-foot-1, along with being listed at 250 pounds of solid muscle.
His height and weight are already wildly comparable to quality NBA big men such as, Joel Embiid, Dwight Howard, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Ayton also has a 7-foot-5 wingspan which is longer than Towns, Howard, and the same length as Joel “The Process” Embiid.
On top of having elite NBA measurables, Deandre Ayton is an incredible athlete. Ayton has been measured at a 43.5-inch max vertical jump which is obscene. Here’s a video of that max vertical. Looking at this video it looks like Ayton would have no problem touching the top of the backboard on the hoop.
The physical marvel just doesn’t stop there, though. Ayton moves unlike most 7-footers that you will get the opportunity to watch. Here’s Ayton showing off his speed, running the floor against Oregon. Unfortunately, he was not rewarded for his effort, but his speed going down the court was on full display.