The Phoenix Suns should trade up to draft Mo Bamba

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CHICAGO, IL – MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Mohamed Bamba poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Combine circuit on May 15, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In case you missed it, the Phoenix Suns have the first overall pick in the NBA draft. With that pick they are to decide between DeAndre Ayton and Luka Doncic, with Ayton being the presumed favorite (unless they trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, that is, in which case, Should they? or Shouldn’t they?)

If they select Ayton, they will have their center of the future. For the first time in the franchise’s 51-year history, they will enter a season with a cornerstone center that the franchise has to this point perpetually lacked. Ayton, being a fantastic offensive player with some defensive potential, seems to be the ideal fit for a team that last season completely lacked an inside presence on both ends of the floor.

Replacing Tyson Chandler and Alex Len with a young player that some have compared to David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, and even Hakeem Olajuwon, will be a tremendous step forward for the Phoenix Suns, and an idea that all Suns fans should be absolutely excited for moving forward.

However, is Ayton enough? At least on the defensive end, is he a good enough player to anchor that side of the ball?

Many analysts have criticized Ayton’s defense as his greatest flaw (although to be fair, some have noted that he was playing out of position at the University of Arizona, playing power forward instead of center, and the defensive spacing that their schemes offered did not play well enough to his strengths as a quick and athletic bigman).

But, if he is rough on the defensive end, and he gets his wish to play power forward in the NBA (something the Suns would absolutely be able to consider if they are able to make a trade) and he does shoot 3’s at a rate similar to his college stats, then the Suns should consider moving back into the top-ten and find a project/prospect to fill in some of those gaps.

They should trade up to select Mohamad Bamba creating the best up-and-coming front-courts in the NBA.

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The Phoenix Suns should trade up to draft Mo Bamba

By Adam Maynes | May 28, 2018

While you’d be hard-pressed to find a mock draft that ever had Mohamed Bamba going first, the Phoenix Suns could trade up to get him, potentially landing the best player in the 2018 NBA Draft Class.