High school coach: Ayton more skilled than Embiid was entering draft

Kyle Weaver coached Deandre Ayton before the big man played a single season at Arizona and developed into a potential No. 1 pick. He trained Ayton after the Pac-12 Player of the Year declared the beginning of his professional career.

The former Hillcrest Prep head coach in Phoenix and current Bella Vista College Prep head coach in Cave Creek, Ariz., has seen Ayton develop from a spindly 16-year-old into a soon-to-be 20-year-old man-child.

And he believes his skill level belongs in the same discussion as the greats.

Ayton has drawn comparison’s to David Robinson because of the body and Kevin Garnett because of his shooting range as a big.

“I think even into how Joel Embiid’s really developed, Deandre is much more skilled than Joel Embiid coming into the draft,” said Weaver, making a more recent comparison to the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star.

“We really pushed (Ayton) to really turn into a guard. I think, honestly, he can go in the NBA next year and shoot 38, 39 percent from the NBA three-point line. I was training him for the past month-and-a-half right after college. He was shooting probably about 80 to 82 percent from the NBA three-point range, which nobody sees that while he was playing at Arizona.”

Weaver, of course, is standing up for his player.

When it comes to the Embiid comparison, it’s fair. Embiid averaged just 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a freshman at Kansas but played 10 fewer minutes per outing than Ayton’s 33.1 average. Per 40 minutes, the production was similar: 24 points, 13.8 rebounds. 1.9 assists and 2.3 blocks per game for Ayton to 19.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 4.5 blocks for Embiid.

The shooting, though is where Weaver believes Ayton stands out as a unique player.

Ayton took just 35 threes at Arizona, knocking down 12 (34 percent). His free throw shooting improved during his only season in college and was a very good 75 percent in Pac-12 play.

Considering NBA talent evaluators tend to link free throw accuracy to three-point potential, it’s promising.

“His time while being playing under me, he really developed the jumper, the three. Not a lot of people saw that in the Arizona offense,” Weaver said.

The Wildcats put up yellow lights when it came to their big men shooting. Additionally, playing Ayton at the power forward spot alongside low-post center Dusan Ristic put Ayton in a difficult position defensively.

Teams would often attack him with smaller perimeter players.

Ayton struggled at times, failing to track active opponents or struggling to help in the paint with shooters making him think twice about sagging off of them. Weaver said coach Sean Miller’s scheme at Arizona helped build the narrative about Ayton’s poor defense.

“I understand where (the criticism) comes from, but I’ve seen him defend against the best in high school,” Weaver said. “I saw him check (former Duke point guard) Trevon Duval up top at halfcourt, pick him up and create him into a tough jumper. I’ve seen him hold (former Kansas forward) Billy Preston into nothing. He can defend. It’s just a will.”

Weaver believes in Ayton, however, because of his personality.

Ayton gaining 25 pounds in his first three months at Arizona might show just how much he’ll work to improve. Weaver said Ayton’s hurdles he’s overcame — growing up in the Bahamas, acclimating to the United States, being the subject of a report that linked him to the FBI investigation surrounding Arizona — prove he can face adversity.

“He’s a great kid. The kid’s been through everything. You hear all these horror stories about these kids being used and stuff,” Weaver said. “He’s a prime example. When he first got to us, trust was something he was lacking because he’d been used by many people that saw his talent but didn’t care about him as an actual individual. He really developed emotionally down here. He’s a great kid.

“He never once talked back to me, he never once disrespected me, and I was a 25-year-old coach at that time. He’s a phenomenal kid.”

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