4. DeAndre Ayton, C, Arizona
In his preseason debut against Eastern New Mexico, DeAndre Ayton looked like the dominating force we all thought he would be — he looked like a man amongst boys. The 7-foot center scored a spectacular 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds along the way. Albeit against poor opposition, Ayton straight dominated the game.
Ayton is difficult to stop in the paint. His 7-foot, 250-pound frame often lets him overpower the teams opposing big man. Additionally, Ayton is an athletic freak, he possesses a preposterous 43.5-inch vertical jump, with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. It’s fair to say that Ayton is the epitome of being someone who’s impossible to score over.
Despite this, Ayton does have his concerns, most notably his motor, or lack of one. Ayton is often seen taking plays off in games, he lacks the drives to really make an impact if his team is down big. If Ayton is drafted to a rebuilding team, this could develop into a really big issue.
Nevertheless, Ayton is one of the premier players in this draft class for a reason: he’s really talented. Ayton will likely be a top-five pick in June’s NBA Draft.