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At long last, the NBA season is finally over which means that it is time for a new crop of young talent to enter the league via the NBA Draft. Every team will be looking for the next superstar who can potentially propel their respective organizations to the promised land. This year, the Phoenix Suns possess the first overall pick after finishing with the worst record in the league this past season. There are several players with superstar potential who the Suns should consider selecting.
The current favorite to be selected first overall is Arizona center Deandre Ayton. As a 19 year old old freshman, Ayton dominated opponents with his size and strength on his way to becoming Pac-12 Player of the Year. Ayton is over seven feet tall and weighs roughly 260 pounds which makes him practically unguardable in the post. Ayton used his frame to average 20.1 points per game along with 11.6 rebounds per game. However, what separates Ayton from other prospects are his skills on the offensive end. Ayton was a 73% free throw shooter in college and has tremendous footwork and touch near the basket. Ayton is, in my opinion, the best player in this draft class and should be a phenomenal NBA player moving forward.
A potential dark horse candidate to be the first overall pick is Luka Dončić from Real Madrid. The 6’6 point guard has been playing for the Real Madrid basketball team for the last four years. This past season, he won the Liga ACB MVP award after averaging 12.8 points per game along with 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists. What makes this more impressive is the fact that Dončić is only 19 years old. Dončić has been playing against hardest competition than anyone else in this draft class which should help ease his transition into the NBA. Dončić is lethal at creating separation off the dribble which has allowed him to get to the hole with relative ease. I personally think that Doncic will be a star in the NBA as a result.
Another dark horse candidate to be selected with the first overall pick is forward Marvin Bagley III from the University of Duke. In his only season with Duke, Bagley averaged 21.0 points per game along with 11.1 rebounds which helped him win the ACC Player of the Year Award. Bagley can be a man among boys in the paint and uses his length and quickness to give opponents serious issues. However, Bagley still has some potential flaws within his game. He was only a 62.7% free throw shooter in college and was a terrible on-ball defender. Bagley’s upside is extremely high but he will have to improve in those two areas if he wants to be truly great.
As for my prediction, I have to side with Ayton. Although the Suns could pair up Dončić with Booker in the backcourt, I think that Ayton is just too talented to pass up on. Despite being from the Bahamas, Ayton is somewhat of a local kid since he attended the University of Arizona for college. He might be the most dominant prospect I have seen in a long time and I expect the Suns to make that realization on draft night.
NBA Draft: Game Time, TV Channel & Viewing Details
Event: 2018 NBA Draft
Date: Thursday, June 21, 2018
Start Time: 7:00 P.M. EST
Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY
Broadcast: ESPN
How to Watch NBA Draft On Your Tablet Or Mobile Device
You can live stream the event on the WatchESPN app.
You can download the WatchESPN app on Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, and the Windows Store. The Fox Sports Go app is also available on the following devices: Apple TV, Roku, Android TV and Fire TV.
How To Live Stream NBA Draft Online Without Cable Subscription
You can also live stream the event through Sling TV free trial. Just click on the Sling website and click “Watch Now 7 Days Free” for the free trial. Choose the Sling Orange package, which costs $20 per month and comes with ESPN, along with many other sports channels.
