Narrative should not be the reason the Suns draft Ayton
By Assane Drame
Phoenix Suns fans have debated for weeks if not months for who they should select number one overall. But they need to make sure he is the absolute RIGHT player.
Forget Laurel and Yannie, it’s Ayton and Doncic you’re hearing. Luka Doncic and DeAndre Ayton, that is, the two players that Phoenix Suns fans are currently debating over who they’d prefer their favorite franchise to pick first overall.
While Luka Doncic has plenty of hard-core supporters throughout the Valley of the Suns, the majority of fans believe that Phoenix should draft DeAndre Ayton, the player that is most likely going to be their first overall selection.
With that said, should Ayton be the pick in the upcoming draft, it should be because Ryan McDonough, James Jones, Igor Kokoskov and company think he’s the best prospect –
Not because he played for the Arizona Wildcats or Hillcrest Academy.
Certainly not because the Suns have waited 50 years to draft a “great center.”
It can’t simply be because he wants to be here.
And not because he and along with Devin Booker could create the next “Shaq and Kobe.”
If you’re a fan and your reasoning for picking Ayton is nothing but any of those reasons above (there have been plenty of fans whose reasoning is nothing but those reasons), then those aren’t good reasons to draft him.
Perhaps the reasons that sound more infuriating are the “great center” and “Shaq and Kobe 2.0” reasons.
First off, if the Suns are looking to acquire a great center, then why not trade the pick in a package for someone established such as Nikola Jokic or Devin Booker’s old teammate Karl Anthony-Towns?
You already know what you’re getting out of them right away along with the potential of what they could become. Some people don’t even know if Ayton is a better prospect than Marvin Bagley or Jaren Jackson Jr.
Second, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are entirely different players from what Ayton and Booker are. Most notably, the former in their heyday were exceptional defenders. There has not been any indication that either Booker or Ayton would get to that level of defending.
There are solid arguments for why Ayton should go number one to Phoenix and if that becomes the case then so be it. He could very well become a 20/10 player with a massive presence.
However, their reasoning for drafting him should include his rebounding ability, scoring touch around the rim, his perimeter threat as a shooter, his promising passing ability, his freakish athleticism, and the fact that he looks strong enough to lift pro wrestler ‘Big Show’ up from the ground with ease.
Some – if not most – Suns fans are enamored with the idea of Ayton in Phoenix. Rightfully so. However, like Doncic, Bagley, JJJ, and Trae Young, he has flaws, and that’s okay.
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You use the number one overall pick on a player who you think is the best. Not because of fun narratives.
This isn’t to tear down Ayton, mind you. Again, he is a good prospect. If I were making the pick, he’d be in the mix. But he’s also not the runaway choice nor my favorite.
Hopefully come draft time, whoever has their name called between Doncic and Ayton for the Suns, the decision will be made because they’re the best option. Not for narratives sake.