When University of Arizona big man Deandre Ayton declared for the NBA Draft last spring, he had intentions on being a huge multi-talented power forward in the NBA.
He’d just finished his freshman season playing the outside-the-paint position despite a massive frame of more than 7 feet tall, almost 7 1⁄2 feet wingspan and 250 lean pounds. His nimble feet, lateral quickness and 40 inch vertical leap allowed him to roam the floor in college while the much more positionally limited Dusan Ristic manned the middle.
But now that he’s surrounded by NBA-level players, he sees the reality.