Deandre Ayton is one of the most intriguing big men prospects to grace the draft in recent years thanks to his unique blend of prototypical NBA size, length, athleticism, and coordination combined with a budding skill level. Born in the Bahamas, Ayton grew into a consensus top-3 prospect in the high school class of 2017 after arriving in the United States at age 12. Had a tremendous individual season for an Arizona team that faced lofty preseason expectations. Averaged 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game to earn Pac-12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-America First Team honors.
Measured a massive 7’0.5 in shoes with a 7’ wingspan and 261-pound frame last fall. Has been a tremendous physical specimen in terms of size and length since his high school days, but has added a remarkable amount of muscle to his frame over the last few years. Has imposing dimensions and terrific mobility for a player his size.
Played a lot of power forward this season for Arizona posting gaudy efficiency numbers within Sean Miller’s offense, but still showing plenty of upside to grow into offensively. A dominant force around the rim. Did his best work as a finisher, but was heavily involved in the Wildcats’ offense as a one-on-one threat in the post and as a jump shooter as well. Finished the year ranked 2nd in the NCAA in scoring efficiency among high volume, power conference players and 7th overall.
Showed flashes of potential defensively last season, but has only scratched the surface of the impact he can make with his length and quickness. Instinctive rebounder with the tools to be instantly productive on the boards. Can block shots by virtue of his length and has the mobility to step out and defend on the perimeter allowing only 0.658 points per Isolation possession[71st percentile], but is still learning where to be and when he needs to be there.