DeAndre Ayton

[E-Balla]

Frame looks like DRob his game reminds me of Patrick Ewing

He's giant but his frame is more similar to Ewing (not at the same age though) than DRob.





Robinson was freaky built and on another level (somehow). I mean look at this.



Guys like him, Wilt, Shaq, Ralph Sampson, Oden, and Dwight were just crazy.

[DirtyDez]

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[GimmeDat]

Men against boys out there. I've kept him down at around 3/4 on my mock because I want to see more of Ayton, but I feel like there's a good chance he ends up my #1.

[jonjames]

Men against boys out there. I've kept him down at around 3/4 on my mock because I want to see more of Ayton, but I feel like there's a good chance he ends up my #1.

3/4? Who did you have above him?

[GimmeDat]

Men against boys out there. I've kept him down at around 3/4 on my mock because I want to see more of Ayton, but I feel like there's a good chance he ends up my #1.

3/4? Who did you have above him?

Well I actually made my first mock in the sub-forum a few days ago and I have him at 2 (Doncic 1), but that was only a recent adjustment - I previously had Bagley above him as well. Never actually had him as low as 4 but back when I had him at 3 I was flip-flopping between he and Bamba for that 3rd spot.

[Mulhollanddrive]

I know he was playing against midgets (compared to him) but he just looks like he oozes superstar potential nevermind the 30-10. I was most impressed with how he fought for position in the post and looked comfortable finishing with his hook shot. Didn't settle for outside jumpers and played hard inside.

[916fan]

Not impressed by this game. He was playing against bad competition and just powered his way inside for almost each basket. If he did it against guys who were bigger, I'd be more impressed.. but the biggest and tallest players on their team was 6'8 220lbs and 6'7 225lbs.....

not sure what I was supposed to take away from this game lol. I like his aggressiveness at attacking the rim though.

[Duke4life831]

You can only take so much from these early season/exhibition games. I usually just look for how well these guys move on the court, defensive rotations and shooting form and touch. Ayton of course moves so well for a guy his size and I gotta say the dude seemed really into it defensively. Thats going to be the thing Im going to keep an eye out for, see his defensive intensity game to game. There was a play early in the 2nd half where Zona turned it over and it was like a 4 on 3 fast break and Ayton played it beautifully. The dude looked like a safety the way he was back peddling and turning his hips, and ended up stopping the break and blocking the dudes jumper. If he keeps having plays like that, damn it would be hard to not take him #1.

[The Master]

I watched this game live, and then watched again every defensive possession when Ayton was on a floor. And here is like it looked like.

Watch on YouTube

1st half:
1:42 – good help defense, but he should recover quicker
3:29 – a llittle bit confused, but good help, should follow an action though
4:14 – good help and 1vs1 defense, should follow a rebound
5:17 – too passive as a rebounder and rim protector
5:52 – great read and transition;
6:15 – great switch after pick, stays with his player to the end, another mistake of Ristic
13:40 – good help, should be more agressive but still solid switch
13:55 – bad transition defense, he should be as fast on D as he’s on transition O
15:30 – Akon’s mistake as rebounder, but Ayton still has tools to be much more aggressive to protect a board
16:35 – very active as help defender
17:59 – hands down, not aggressive enough, bad defensive play
19:10 – much smaller opponent, but still good instincts this time on low post
19:50 – again, good help and recover
24:40 – played too high as help defender
26:50 – no help D
27:28 – normal D, good shot
28:35 – again, should be more active as rim protector, still good recover
28:55 – again, bad transition D, he should be as active in transition defense as in transition offense
29:40 – active hands

2nd half:
34:40 – lost on defense, still able to contest because of his size
35:20 – should be more active as rebounder, still good rim protection
35:35 – bad defense, hands down, silly foul
37:00 – bad help D by Ristic, but this time Ayton beaten too easily
38:20 – great footwork as above mentioned, close to opponent, great block
41:10 – again, because of his movement capable of defending picks on perimeter
41:40 – good switch, but bad behaviour of running transition before the board is protected
42:05 – bad recover here, was there but doesn’t want to contest a shot
52:50 – wanted other players to switch, not active enough
53:28 – very good perimeter D, stayed in front of guard very easily
55:40 – should be more aggressive to protect a board
58:50 – very good flash and recover
59:15 – good help, Arizona’s guard mistake

So my notes after first two games, and based on my knowledge about him as HS player.

On defense:
- he’s more Power Foward than Center, he has amazing footwark to defend on perimeter as for player of his size
- he's lacking motor to protect a rim and protect a board like 7'1'' athletic freak should
- still very good rebounder because of his physical tools, and I think he's still good shot blocker
- very good already in defending pnr, fantastic fit to modern NBA with his movement and footwork
- can switch defenders very easily because of his movement
- bad instincts to run a floor before protecting a board
- lacking fundamentals like almost every 19yo does

On offense:
- great transition O
- very soft touch around a rim
- suprisingly nice spins and right hook
- suprisingly good passing game (f.e. 01:02:00), he will be double teamed all the time so these passes looked very interesting
- Ayton after a game said that Miller wants to push the ball around a rim, so I think he will spend much more time on low post/as a finisher than as mid range/long distance shooter

I decided to make this early breakdown because everytime I watched these prospects I found suprising a fact that some imaginations about players are more valid to observers than what these players really do on a court. That's why people are suprised why Towns is struggling as defensive player in NBA when in facat he was bad as pnr defender in Kentucky, and was very foul prone.

It's very interesting how Ayton will look like in March, at the beginning of a season he seems to be third best bigman available in draft after Davis and Oden in this century (maybe fourth consideering healthy Embiid before a draft). If he becomes great shot blocker, he can step into ''generational talent'' category because he seems to be full package on offense.

I expect him to be ~20-12-2 type of player this season if he plays ~30mpg, and I'm serious right now. You can say about bad opponent or small sample, but in Red & Blue scrimmage, Ayton was defended by Ristic (7ft good senior) and he did whatever he wanted to.

[Jkam31]

Not impressed by this game. He was playing against bad competition and just powered his way inside for almost each basket. If he did it against guys who were bigger, I'd be more impressed.. but the biggest and tallest players on their team was 6'8 220lbs and 6'7 225lbs.....

not sure what I was supposed to take away from this game lol. I like his aggressiveness at attacking the rim though.

30-10 is 30-10 that’s absurd production


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[Marcus]

Still a ways to go on defensive reads, he's more reaction at the moment which he can afford to be due to being physically superior at this level. That changes a bit next level and not reading leads to posters and foul trouble. Love the motor on offense, always running hard, always springing off the floor (despite being dead tired on a few possessions out there), looked great hustling to get himself into position on the block, drifted a bit up top but that might have been by design with the offense and even then once he didn't get his perimeter touch he hauled ass to root position under the cup so he certainly looked like a guy that was going to play hard whether he got touches or not which I loved seeing.

All the reports about his revved motor looked legit in this game. My next question isn't so much what he does against like size (because even if its another seven footer he won't face many that move how he moves) but what he does against adversity. I want to see a down half and then a response, I want to see early foul trouble and then bounce back, I want to see missed calls and missed jumpers and his energy staying the same throughout. I think those moments will answer any remaining questions about him.

[Marcus]

You can only take so much from these early season/exhibition games. I usually just look for how well these guys move on the court, defensive rotations and shooting form and touch. Ayton of course moves so well for a guy his size and I gotta say the dude seemed really into it defensively. Thats going to be the thing Im going to keep an eye out for, see his defensive intensity game to game. There was a play early in the 2nd half where Zona turned it over and it was like a 4 on 3 fast break and Ayton played it beautifully. The dude looked like a safety the way he was back peddling and turning his hips, and ended up stopping the break and blocking the dudes jumper. If he keeps having plays like that, damn it would be hard to not take him #1.

pound for pound most talented kid in the class. I don't think it's really close and when his motor is going and he's fully engaged there shouldn't be a debate about number 1 unless the team picking has a top 5 center in place already and even then I'd consider looking at who the hell is playing the 4 before I decided against him.

[E-Balla]

You can only take so much from these early season/exhibition games. I usually just look for how well these guys move on the court, defensive rotations and shooting form and touch. Ayton of course moves so well for a guy his size and I gotta say the dude seemed really into it defensively. Thats going to be the thing Im going to keep an eye out for, see his defensive intensity game to game. There was a play early in the 2nd half where Zona turned it over and it was like a 4 on 3 fast break and Ayton played it beautifully. The dude looked like a safety the way he was back peddling and turning his hips, and ended up stopping the break and blocking the dudes jumper. If he keeps having plays like that, damn it would be hard to not take him #1.

pound for pound most talented kid in the class. I don't think it's really close and when his motor is going and he's fully engaged there shouldn't be a debate about number 1 unless the team picking has a top 5 center in place already and even then I'd consider looking at who the hell is playing the 4 before I decided against him.

When his motor is going he has "change the game of basketball forever" potential.

[CptCrunch]

Doesn't his legs look long to you guys? This is a indicator of higher center of gravity and weaker core strength. I saw some struggles in the post fighting for position against players much smaller than him.

[The Master]

Doesn't his legs look long to you guys? This is a indicator of higher center of gravity and weaker core strength. I saw some struggles in the post fighting for position against players much smaller than him.

He's 7'1' in shoes with huge frame and 260lbs on him, if you are right (I don't remeber these struggles honestly, but I don't know, maybe you're right), then it's all about footwork and positioning. In fact, with his size, speed, good touch, footwork and wingspan, it's safe to assume he's going to be very good on low post one day. I think right now this right hook he showed last game, will be unstoppable on college level.

[WalterBenjamin]

I was suprised by his passing touch. If the motor is there number one pick easy.

[No-Man]

He ain't sudden on D, like with Oden for example, he would shadow and erase people, Bamba does this at times too, Ayton in general is re-acting more than anticipating, better when he can lock on ball or defend smaller guys actually than in help D or rebounding, never rebounds outside of his area.

It's weird because on offense he is much more aggressive and involved in the play, even off-ball, have seen him slip a screen, open himself to the corner 3 and when that pass didn't come go hard for the alley-oop and finish, without thinking it twice, automatic there.

Just doesn't have those instincts on defense, he can pass a bit too.

Reminds me a bit of Pau, less length and less of a passer, but similar pros/cons, Ayton is a better athlete than prime Gasol but moves similarly to young Pau.

[Marcus]

He ain't sudden on D, like with Oden for example, he would shadow and erase people, Bamba does this at times too, Ayton in general is re-acting more than anticipating, better when he can lock on ball or defend smaller guys actually than in help D or rebounding, never rebounds outside of his area.

It's weird because on offense he is much more aggressive and involved in the play, even off-ball, have seen him slip a screen, open himself to the corner 3 and when that pass didn't come go hard for the alley-oop and finish, without thinking it twice, automatic there.

Just doesn't have those instincts on defense, he can pass a bit too.

Reminds me a bit of Pau, less length and less of a passer, but similar pros/cons, Ayton is a better athlete than prime Gasol but moves similarly to young Pau.

Boom!!! you see the same thing I see Fisch, especially on defense. No reading just reacting to what's happening and once he faces guys that get to their spot faster than this current level he's going to either be well below average as a rim protector/defensive rebounder or he's going to be a foul magnet. His defensive awareness needs to match his physical ability. On ball he's good. Off ball he misses a lot of the action necessary to make him an anchor. This is something Bamba seems to have right now.

On offense I saw it the same way as well. I'm hopeful it comes around on the defensive end because it didn't come off as if he's more engaged offensively just that he has a better feel and understanding of it. If it was a thing where he just wanted to play offense more than defense then we'd have a problem. But this appears to just be a comfort thing. He's gets spacing and timing and reads better on offense. If he applies that to both ends the league has another center to put in the Boogie/Embiid convo in a few years.

[doordoor123]

Trying to pay more attention to fluidity vs length this year because I completely missed on Kyle Kuzma and forgot how important it is with more space in the NBA. I also overvalued length last year. Ayton has superstar fluidity. The way he moves around the court reminds me of a young Dwight Howard. He should be a sure-fire top 5 pick.

[Duke4life831]

Trying to pay more attention to fluidity vs length this year because I completely missed on Kyle Kuzma and forgot how important it is with more space in the NBA. I also overvalued length last year. Ayton has superstar fluidity. The way he moves around the court reminds me of a young Dwight Howard. He should be a sure-fire top 5 pick.

I think all the bigs move very well on the court. Ayton moves very well for his size, Bamba is extremely agile as well. But ya to me everything about Ayton screams stud. For someone that has watched him for awhile, Im still somewhat skeptical of his motor. But if he can keep a high motor all year, boy it would be hard not to take him #1.