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NBA Draft 2018: The Phoenix Suns shouldn’t overthink the No. 1 overall pick

By Michael Wilson

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Deandre Ayton #13 of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after dunking against the USC Trojans during the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 75-61. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Deandre Ayton #13 of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after dunking against the USC Trojans during the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 75-61. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Phoenix Suns have to get the 2018 NBA Draft right, Absolutely have to. Do you take Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Luka Doncic, or somebody else?

Having the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft for the first time in franchise history is a big deal for Ryan McDonough, the General Manager of the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have to hit a home run with this top pick.

McDonough has stated that there is high probability that the Suns keep the overall pick.

Please stay with that thought McDonough. Don’t screw this up for your team and your fans.

However, why has he also said that he would be willing to listen to offers for the first pick?

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I know that this is the NBA Draft, so that means anything is possible if the right offer comes along. If I am Ryan McDonough, this NBA Draft is a no brainer.

You only consider one guy for the No. 1 pick.

Deandre Ayton is the choice for the Phoenix Suns. End. Of. Story.

If Ryan McDonough overthinks this pick, the franchise could be set back even further than it is now.

You don’t entertain any offers for the pick. Don’t talk to me about getting Kawhi Leonard. He doesn’t want to be in Phoenix. He wants to be La-La-Land. Leonard would leave after the 2018-19 season anyways, so this a total pipe dream.

I also don’t want to hear about trading the No. 1 pick for Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota is not going to let him go. No way, no how. Anytime I hear that crock of an idea, I laugh. Send a rising All-Star player for a player that has potential, but has not done anything at the pro level? Really? This is pipe dream No. 2.

Don’t think about drafting Luka Doncic, either. The Suns went the European route a few years back by drafting Dragan Bender. Drafting Bender has been a disaster. He hasn’t lived up to being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. European players tend to be soft – and don’t always live up to their hype – and this is the last thing the Phoenix Suns need.

The Suns need a legit low post presence.

Deandre Ayton is the guy the Suns should be taking. Ayton is a beast to cover. He’s 7-foot-1, 255 pounds and has a 7-foot-5 wingspan. On the floor, he’s a rim protector, crazy athletic, can score from the outside, can score from down on the block, and has barely scratched the surface of what he can become on the professional level.

I have seen Ayton play in person five times. Covering the Pac-12 Conference like I also do, I saw Ayton dominate the competition all season. Ayton averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds a game, shot 61 percent from the field, 73 percent from the free throw line, 34 percent from the college 3-point line, and blocked 66 shots on the defensive end of the floor.

I’m sold.

He even put back-to-back games of 30-plus points during the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament to help the Arizona Wildcats win the conference title.

The one thing I would say Deandre Ayton needs to work on is his defensive motor. There are times he can seem uninterested on that end of the floor.

However, he would not be the first incoming rookie big man that had to work on their defense. He will not be the last.

Ryan McDonough needs to stop talking about trading the pick or drafting anybody else.

Deandre Ayton is the man in the middle that the Phoenix Suns need to put them into playoff contention and possibly more for the foreseeable future.

Another angle to this No. 1 overall pick is what it could mean for current Suns star, Devin Booker. Booker has told people that this past season would be the last time he would be missing the playoffs. Read into that what you will, but if Deandre Ayton is on Phoenix Suns that creates a greater possibility that Booker re-signs with the Phoenix Suns.

Must Read: 2018 NBA Mock Draft 7.0: LA Clippers trade up, Bulls get a steal at No. 7

I am sure McDonough is aware what this pick means in terms of Devin Booker and his willingness to stay in the Valley of the Sun. That is why there should be no overthinking for the Phoenix Suns.

It’s Deandre Ayton. Period.