Ayton, Bagley lead parade of big men
NEW YORK - The demise of the big man in the NBA has been greatly exaggerated.
Five of the first seven selections in the draft Thursday night were players 6-10 or taller, magnifying the need to have a versatile big man who can defend multiple positions and score inside and out.
With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Phoenix selected 7-1 center Deandre Ayton, who spent one season at Arizona, and Sacramento took 6-11 power forward Marvin Bagley III at No. 2.
Atlanta drafted Slovenian guard Luka Doncic, the 19-year-old EuroLeague MVP, but the Hawks traded Doncic to Dallas, which took Oklahoma guard Trae Young with the No. 5 pick and sent him to the Hawks.
As the draft drew closer, several teams tried to move into the top three so they could draft Doncic. Dallas also offered a future firstrounder to Atlanta, and Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk pulled the trigger to get Young, who will be a vital part of the Hawks’ rebuild. Don’t be surprised if the Hawks try to trade guard Dennis Schroder.
The Suns taking Ayton No. 1 was not a surprise. It had been penciled in for weeks that Phoenix would go in that direction, and Ayton has envisioned running plays with Phoenix guard Devin Booker.
“The two-man game is really lethal in the NBA today and the spacing of the floor,” Ayton said. “In transition, having that pick-and-roll early in the game is crazy. I can pickand-pop, and Devin is a threat coming off the pick, so that’d be pretty hard to guard.”
Ayton is the first player from the Bahamas to be selected first since Mychal Thompson in 1978, and the NBA continues its strong international presence in the top 10.
Michigan State 6-11 forward Jaren Jackson Jr., the son of former NBA player Jaren Jackson, went No. 4 to Memphis.
“At times, I’ve heard that I’m right on time for the way the game is going,” Jackson said. “A lot of bigs can handle the ball and be versatile, and they’re able to make plays.”
At No. 6, Orlando drafted 7-1 Texas center Mo Bamba, and with the seventh pick, Chicago selected 6-10 Duke forward Wendell Carter Jr., who will be paired with Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen, one of the top rookies in the league in 2017-18.
“I feel as if I’m going to have the most impact from day one with any organization that I’m with,” Bamba said. “There’s going to be expectations that each team has and I think I’ll be able to respond to those in the right manner.
“My shot-blocking ability, it’s really second to none. I truly feel as if you can plug me into the league right now, I would be one of the best shotblockers.”
The big men selected early in the draft are not all the same. Some are more advanced offensively, some more proficient defensively. But teams see players who will end contributing on both ends of the floor in a variety of ways.
Looking for perimeter help at the point guard spot, Cleveland took 6-2 Alabama guard Collin Sexton at No. 8. But there’s no guarantee Sexton remains with the Cavaliers. It all depends on what LeBron James does in free agency.