NBA’S BIG NIGHT
It’s no tall tale: Top of draft could reach new heights
To many, this is a big man’s NBA draft.
Arizona 7-footer Deandre Ayton is expected to be the No. 1-overall pick by Phoenix, barring catastrophe of biblical proportions. Five legit bigs could be called within the top seven picks in Thursday’s draft at Barclays Center. Yup, it’s a big man’s night.
For a league where everybody’s playing small.
“The game has changed a lot in the NBA,” said Duke’s 6-11 Marvin Bagley III. “Less post-ups. It’s iso, create for your team. There’s not really many post-ups. Not saying I don’t post up, but me being able to do both, post up and go on the wing, it will stretch out the defense a little more. They’ll have a hard time trying to guard it. That’s how I’ll fit in in the NBA.”
So they’re big — but they’re not your father’s NBA centers, many of whom were equipped with range up to a yardstick, possessing the mobility of Mount Rushmore. And now you have today’s bigs, guys such as Ayton, Bagley and hi s Duke te a mmate, 6-10 Wendell Carter Jr. , plus Texas’ shot-blocking machine Mohamed Bamba and Michigan State’s 6-11 Jaren Jackson Jr.
They were all in Midtown on Wednesday addressing how to fit in with the modern NBA — when they weren’t being quizzed on Netflix history, musical preferences and favorite constellations.
“I’m not changing my way of play in the NBA. I’m still an inside-out type of player. I’m going to start inside and establish myself down low until I have to stretch the floor,” Ayton said.
In the modern NBA, one scout said Ayton’s down-low approach makes perfect sense.
“You want to take advantage of his biggest strength. He can make an elbow jumper, even a 20-footer, but the point is where do you have the biggest advantage with him? It’s close to the basket because he’s incredibly athletic, he’s going to be bigger than most guys,” the scout said. “This isn’t the old days where you had a lot of big bodies. They’re playing small. … So why not throw the ball to Ayton 10 times in a row and see how many fouls and points you can accumulate?”
Jackson, the son of the former NBA player with the same name, has a strong inside-out game and gets high marks defensive ly. He said there’ s one very sound, logical reason for his mobility at his size:
“I used to be shorter.” That’ll do it. “I’ve heard that I’m right on time for the way the game is going. A lot of bigs can handle the ball and be versatile and they’re able to make plays,” Jackson said. “You look at a team like the Warriors, they switch everything. They can play all different positions.”
Carter is the no-frills or flash guy who simply gets it done. Both ways.
“I di dn’ t re a l ly have to be as versatile at Duke, just because we had so many different players at different positions. I know at the next level you have to be able to do it all,” said Carter, who listed his skills. “For a big, just being able to shoot. Guarding guards, being able to switch on pick-and-rolls. Pretty much everything. Being able to bring the ball up the court and bust out after rebounds. And being in phenomenal shape.”
Bamba is considered the best shot-blocker by far.
“My shot-blocking ability, it’s really second to none. I truly feel you can plug me into the league right now and I would be in contention for one of the best shot-blockers,” the Harlem-born Bamba said, noting the diverse skills among the available big men. “We’re all very different. We all bring different things. … But I feel as if I’m going to have the most impact from Day 1,” Bamba said