With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

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With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Deandre Ayton
31
54%
Luca Doncic
25
44%
Other
1
2%
 
Total votes: 57

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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

Superbone wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 1:19 pm
JCSunsfan wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 1:17 pm
Superbone wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 11:56 am
AmareIsGod wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 11:52 am
Is Bamba really as frail and skinny as people are saying? I keep hearing that being mentioned on sports radio. If so, that would concern me that he'll get moved around pretty easy in the paint for the first few years until he puts on size.
Yes, he really is that skinny. This is one big advantage Ayton has on the rest of the field. He's got an NBA ready body right now.
He has the shoulders and upper body, but he has been skipping leg day.
Luckily, that won't be an option with the Suns' training staff.
Didn't know Ayton had skinny legs. Anyone able to find a photo where we can see some thighs on him? All the stuff I'm finding on Google is from him playing which only shows below the knee. That can be a tough indicator.
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

Per TheAthletic

https://theathletic.com/239358/2018/02/ ... na-desert/
From mid-July to mid-January, Ayton swelled from 243 pounds to 261 pounds while dropping his body fat to a preposterous 5.4 percent. By October, when Arizona ran its players through testing they’d potentially face before an NBA draft, Ayton recorded 19 repetitions on a 185-pound bench press. He thinks this undersells him. “I know I can go up to 30,” he says. A video of Ayton’s maximum vertical leap test shows him soaring in from the 3-point line and leaving just two panels untouched at the top of the pole; in all, it was good for a 43.5-inch jump. He ran the agility drill in 11.34 seconds (essentially sprinting, sliding and backpedaling along an NBA lane). In the weight room, Ayton maxes out a pull-down machine at 360 pounds — despite a 7-5 wingspan that makes that action substantially more challenging than it would be for a person with even above-average arm length. And about that leg press machine: The strength staff puts the maximum 10 plates on each side for Ayton. This means his legs, which started pushing 225 pounds less than eight months ago, now can move 900.
Whoa. I don't think he has skinny legs if he's leg pressing 900 lbs. There are some other freaky physical numbers in the article. I've got a subscription to TheAthletic if people need more.
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

More from the above article:
The progress has been necessary to keep Arizona rolling at all, and not just because Ayton produces 19.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per night, with a total of 5.2 Win Shares that as of Tuesday ranked seventh in the country. Ayton shares the floor with Ristic enough that he must guard opposing 4s, who are almost inevitably smaller than the freshman big man; chasing those types of players through perimeter screens, for example, puts a premium on the quickness and flexibility Ayton has enhanced through the strength program. Likewise, when Ristic sits, Ayton must be sturdy enough to wall off more conventional 5-men. (He’s doing all this while playing more than 32 minutes a game.) As Miller notes, if Ayton only had to worry about one spot, he might be even further along than he is. “All the work he’s put in, in a way has prepared him, I hope, for where he’s able to do both,” the Arizona coach says. “Because of how we’ve utilized him and the makeup of our team — you’re really going to see him at his best when he leaves us.”
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

EDC
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by EDC »

I'm not sure how it is going to get easier for him. Other teams are going to force him to guard the pick and roll. So he will still be out on the perimeter chasing little guys around.

I just hope he has good hands, can run the pick and roll and finish on the move.

I just think it will be tough for him to come straight into the league and be really effective in the post.

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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

More from the article, for those worried about his work ethic.
The gold practice jersey is a tradition and an honor dating to Miller’s days at Xavier. To earn the gold jersey, a player must accrue more practice points than anyone else in a multitude of what are hustle statistics monitored by team personnel during four-on-four or five-on-five action: deflections, rebounds, blocks, steals and more. All of it is catalogued, and a gold tank top is bestowed upon the player who did more than anyone else. In the first 11 windows during which players were eligible to secure the gold jersey, Ayton won it nine times.

And, he hastens to note, the two times he didn’t win, he was limited in practice with an injured finger and strep throat. “I mean, it’s all about pride at the end of the day,” Ayton says. “You want to win that many games, you want to show coach that you’re actually improving, that you’re consistent in what you do.”

The sheer growth is stupefying. But it may be that Ayton is wired for it in a way that genetics can’t entirely explain; a day-to-day reliability, at least as far as basketball investment goes, appears to be one of his less-publicized faculties. Asking a player to work hard is a low bar to clear. But a 7-1, 261-pound human incongruity has a gilded future even if he doesn’t have gold practice duds to match. Yet Ayton has put in enough effort to secure more gold jerseys than former one-and-doners Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson and Lauri Markkanen earned as freshmen combined (three) and more than half as many as noted maniacal hustler Solomon Hill was awarded in his career.

Hill amassed 17, and that number spiked as he essentially played his senior year for his NBA life. Ayton has no such worries. Yet as of last week, in terms of total practice points, the next-closest Wildcat trailed him by more than 200. “It’s not all because that’s how he was born,” Jackson-Cartwright says. “He puts in the work.
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

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JCSunsfan
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by JCSunsfan »

AmareIsGod wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:43 pm
More from the article, for those worried about his work ethic.
The gold practice jersey is a tradition and an honor dating to Miller’s days at Xavier. To earn the gold jersey, a player must accrue more practice points than anyone else in a multitude of what are hustle statistics monitored by team personnel during four-on-four or five-on-five action: deflections, rebounds, blocks, steals and more. All of it is catalogued, and a gold tank top is bestowed upon the player who did more than anyone else. In the first 11 windows during which players were eligible to secure the gold jersey, Ayton won it nine times.

And, he hastens to note, the two times he didn’t win, he was limited in practice with an injured finger and strep throat. “I mean, it’s all about pride at the end of the day,” Ayton says. “You want to win that many games, you want to show coach that you’re actually improving, that you’re consistent in what you do.”

The sheer growth is stupefying. But it may be that Ayton is wired for it in a way that genetics can’t entirely explain; a day-to-day reliability, at least as far as basketball investment goes, appears to be one of his less-publicized faculties. Asking a player to work hard is a low bar to clear. But a 7-1, 261-pound human incongruity has a gilded future even if he doesn’t have gold practice duds to match. Yet Ayton has put in enough effort to secure more gold jerseys than former one-and-doners Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson and Lauri Markkanen earned as freshmen combined (three) and more than half as many as noted maniacal hustler Solomon Hill was awarded in his career.

Hill amassed 17, and that number spiked as he essentially played his senior year for his NBA life. Ayton has no such worries. Yet as of last week, in terms of total practice points, the next-closest Wildcat trailed him by more than 200. “It’s not all because that’s how he was born,” Jackson-Cartwright says. “He puts in the work.
Yep. Its not about work ethic. Its about coaching.

EDC
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by EDC »

https://twitter.com/AdamHimmelsbach/status/1009473123631149061

Wonder if that is legit.

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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

EDC wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:59 pm

https://twitter.com/AdamHimmelsbach/status/1009473123631149061

Wonder if that is legit.
Lost in all of it is hearing the quote and the exact phrasing of the question. The environment in which it was asked. What he followed his response with. You can't get any of that in a quote you read in a Tweet.

Ex:

Reporter: "Deandre, tell us what you would consider a success in your NBA career?"

Ayton: "Getting to the 2nd contract."

*serious face*. Next question.

Vs.

Reporter: "So Deandre, you're a talented guy. Beyond getting picked first and possibly having an All Star career, what else would you consider a success in your career?"

Ayton: "Man, just getting to that 2nd contract." *laughter*
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

EDC
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by EDC »

I dunno man. If you want to make it sound better you should probably have him say something like "win a championship oh and also get a second contract."

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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

EDC wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:09 pm
I dunno man. If you want to make it sound better you should probably have him say something like "win a championship oh and also get a second contract."
Let me go find some pepper while we're at it and put it on a microscope slide so I can separate the gnat poop.
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

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Flagrant Fowl
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by Flagrant Fowl »

Most Suns fans let Amare slide with some of his eyeroll enducing comments because he was an All-NBA level player. Even then, a lot of us still became frustrated with his deficiencies in rebounding and defense.

With Ayton, we don't really know how well he's going to develop in the NBA, yet he's already said some things that make people nervous about his mental makeup as a professional. If he comes in and kicks ass like Amare, no one will care when he makes these kinds of comments. But if he ends up being the 3rd or 4th best big man in this draft, we're going to look back at these things as red flags.
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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

Flagrant Fowl wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:18 pm
Most Suns fans let Amare slide with some of his eyeroll enducing comments because he was an All-NBA level player. Even then, a lot of us still became frustrated with his deficiencies in rebounding and defense.

With Ayton, we don't really know how well he's going to develop in the NBA, yet he's already said some things that make people nervous about his mental makeup as a professional. If he comes in and kicks ass like Amare, no one will care when he makes these kinds of comments. But if he ends up being the 3rd or 4th best big man in this draft, we're going to look back at these things as red flags.
Please stop with all of the logic and making sense. I can't handle it! :P
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

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Superbone
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by Superbone »

Well, if he didn't make it to his second contract, he'd be considered a huge failure.
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Flagrant Fowl
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by Flagrant Fowl »

AmareIsGod wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:24 pm
Flagrant Fowl wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:18 pm
Most Suns fans let Amare slide with some of his eyeroll enducing comments because he was an All-NBA level player. Even then, a lot of us still became frustrated with his deficiencies in rebounding and defense.

With Ayton, we don't really know how well he's going to develop in the NBA, yet he's already said some things that make people nervous about his mental makeup as a professional. If he comes in and kicks ass like Amare, no one will care when he makes these kinds of comments. But if he ends up being the 3rd or 4th best big man in this draft, we're going to look back at these things as red flags.
Please stop with all of the logic and making sense. I can't handle it! :P
The thing is, I don't think he'll be as good as Amare, and it's not out of the question that Bagley, JJJ, and Bamba (not to mention Doncic) become better and/or more accomplished players. So Ayton's comments are causing me to cringe because I think he's on the verge of writing checks that his ass can't cash.
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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

I think he'll be a better rebounder and defender than Amare was. His offensive game is already as good or better than Amare's was coming into the league. Actions vs words. His actions have spoken louder than the red flag words that have come out of his mouth. Let's see how coaching from Igor and being a professional pan out. His collegiate work ethic doesn't seem to indicate that he was a slouch at all. Flagrant, were you able to access the article I shared?
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

Amare in high school:

In his senior year he averaged 29.1 points, 15 rebounds, 6.1 blocked shots, and 2.1 steals per game.

Deandre:

21.1 points, 16.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocked shots, 1.6 steals.

Amare definitely had a better high school career, with only 2 years of organized basketball under his belt.
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

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JCSunsfan
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by JCSunsfan »

AmareIsGod wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:48 pm
Amare in high school:

In his senior year he averaged 29.1 points, 15 rebounds, 6.1 blocked shots, and 2.1 steals per game.

Deandre:

21.1 points, 16.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocked shots, 1.6 steals.

Amare definitely had a better high school career, with only 2 years of organized basketball under his belt.
OH good grief. Amare went to a public high school. DeAndre went to a school that grooms players for the NBA. Bagley was his teammate in HS. Amare did not have to compete for rebounds or shots with anyone. And your numbers are wrong. In his senior year Ayton averaged 26, 15, 3.5 (junior year he averaged 29, 17, 3.8). Your numbers are from his sophomore year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deandre_Ayton

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AmareIsGod
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by AmareIsGod »

JCSunsfan wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 5:15 pm
AmareIsGod wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:48 pm
Amare in high school:

In his senior year he averaged 29.1 points, 15 rebounds, 6.1 blocked shots, and 2.1 steals per game.

Deandre:

21.1 points, 16.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocked shots, 1.6 steals.

Amare definitely had a better high school career, with only 2 years of organized basketball under his belt.
OH good grief. Amare went to a public high school. DeAndre went to a school that grooms players for the NBA. Bagley was his teammate in HS. Amare did not have to compete for rebounds or shots with anyone. And your numbers are wrong. In his senior year Ayton averaged 26, 15, 3.5 (junior year he averaged 29, 17, 3.8). Your numbers are from his sophomore year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deandre_Ayton
Relax. I'm firmly in the Ayton camp. I just try to throw out the occasional perspective countering, though it's hard to find legitimate qualms. Are you not reading any of my other posts?
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

EDC
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by EDC »

AmareIsGod wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 5:22 pm
JCSunsfan wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 5:15 pm
AmareIsGod wrote:
Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:48 pm
Amare in high school:

In his senior year he averaged 29.1 points, 15 rebounds, 6.1 blocked shots, and 2.1 steals per game.

Deandre:

21.1 points, 16.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocked shots, 1.6 steals.

Amare definitely had a better high school career, with only 2 years of organized basketball under his belt.
OH good grief. Amare went to a public high school. DeAndre went to a school that grooms players for the NBA. Bagley was his teammate in HS. Amare did not have to compete for rebounds or shots with anyone. And your numbers are wrong. In his senior year Ayton averaged 26, 15, 3.5 (junior year he averaged 29, 17, 3.8). Your numbers are from his sophomore year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deandre_Ayton
Relax. I'm firmly in the Ayton camp. I just try to throw out the occasional perspective countering, though it's hard to find legitimate qualms. Are you not reading any of my other posts?
:lol: :lol:

You guys need to save up your energy to fight off the hordes of Ayton haters. :)

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UglyTruth
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Re: With the FIRST pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select...

Post by UglyTruth »

AmareIsGod wrote:
Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:35 pm
INFORMER wrote:
Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:31 pm
AmareIsGod wrote:
Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:23 pm
He scored 8 points, had 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a cool 3 pointer. Those are some #1 pick numbers against world class competition.
Anthony Davis went 0-10 in his championship game.

Let us proceed...
Ayton had 14 points and 13 boards vs. Buffalo in UofA's playoff game. I've heard many people point to that game as a red flag. What do you make of it?
How much did he give up in exchange...24? 34?

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