Deandre Ayton to Phoenix? ‘I could see a little Shaq and Kobe 2.0’
Apr 1, 2018, 4:51 PM
Arizona's DeAndre Ayton celebrates during the second half against Oregon in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, in Eugene, Ore. Oregon won 98-93 in overtime. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)
(AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)
Arizona Wildcat and former Phoenix Hillcrest Prep player Deandre Ayton isn’t opposed to staying in Arizona.
On CBS Radio’s Tiki and Tierney, Ayton was asked which team he’d like to be drafted by.
“Honestly, for my mother, I could see myself in Phoenix,” he said. “I could see a little Shaq and Kobe 2.0.”
He laughed after this; it’s much too early to think about Ayton and Devin Booker becoming a duo equivalent to former Lakers greats Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, and the Suns aren’t even assured of their draft position.
— Deandre Ayton (@DeandreAyton) April 1, 2018
But if Phoenix does win the NBA Draft Lottery for the first time in team history, they could pick Ayton, who has drawn comparisons to O’Neal. The Wildcat averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in college and is listed at 7-foot-1, right around O’Neal’s size.
He would complement Booker, who got advice from Bryant to “Be legendary” with a pair of signed shoes two years ago.
Ayton said part of the Phoenix draw was his mother. The two moved to Arizona for him to attend Hillcrest Prep in high school, and he said attending Arizona for college “was my mom’s decision, mainly.”
The Suns may have to pull the first ping pong ball to take him. Ayton wants to go No. 1 overall in the draft.
“I’m representing the Bahamas, I’m representing a lot of islands, there’s whole nation behind me on my back,” he said on CBS Radio. “That’s really important for me to go No. 1, that’s why I played so hard.”
