Deandre Ayton to the Memphis Grizzlies as the number one pick?
By Chris Kern
Deandre Ayton has taken the college baseball world by storm. Should the Memphis Grizzlies take him number one overall?
Deandre Ayton has been a complete stud recently. He dominated in the PAC 12 tournament just like he did all season. Without question, he is one of the most talented big men we’ve seen for many years.
Deandre Ayton was a man possessed in the Pac-12 tournament, having 64 points and 32 rebounds in Arizona’s final two games and cementing himself as the favorite to be the number one pick in the 2018 draft. He’ll have another great chance to showcase his talents in a potential Round of 32 matchup with Kentucky and its litany of pro prospects. If he keeps dominating in the post and improving the range on his jumper, he’ll put all arguments to rest on who should go first overall.
What To Watch For In The NCAA Tournament
After that dominating show he had in the PAC 12 tournament, he is going to be looking to keep that up. He has a chance to really impress the scouts by taking his team on a deep tournament run.
The Arizona Wildcats will likely be tested early on in the tournament. They should beat Buffalo, despite the Bulls being a tough matchup. The next two games would likely be against Kentucky and Virginia, two very tough games early on in the tournament.
Those two games are the perfect opportunity for Ayton to show everybody just how talented he is. Not many people were able to watch the PAC 12 tournament due to it being on the PAC 12 network, so many of people will be tuning in to watch them play.
If Deandre Ayton can lead this team out of the South Region and into the Final Four, that may be all that is needed for him to lock up the first pick in the draft. He is a difference maker for Arizona, and he is capable of leading this team very deep into the tournament.
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Would The Grizzlies Take Him Number One Overall?
The Grizzlies still have Marc Gasol for a couple years, so many people would think they avoid taking a big; that may not be the case though. Deandre Ayton is a special talent that only comes around once in awhile. Even guys like Karl Anthony-Towns and Joel Embiid didn’t have this type of buzz.
The Grizzlies are starting a long rebuild, and they need to get a franchise player for the future, which Ayton is. He can play alongside Marc Gasol for a year or two, but they could also look to move Gasol. Maybe they Grizzlies don’t even want Ayton; who knows. However, they shouldn’t take Ayton just because of Marc Gasol .
A healthy Grizzlies team could be a playoff contender next year with a guy like Ayton on the roster. They have a few nice solid role players on this team, but they don’t have a young star. Deandre Ayton is a guy that can jumpstart this rebuild so the Grizzlies never have to tank again.
There are other great candidates as well like Luka Doncic and Marvin Bagley, who are both very good. Ayton has started to separate himself in the past couple weeks though. If he continues to dominate in the NCAA tournament, it’s gonna be hard to pass him up in the draft.
The Grizzlies losing streak continues to grow, so we can expect them to have one of the worst records in the league. You never know how the lottery will bounce, but if the Grizzlies get the chance, they should draft Deandre Ayton.