NBA Draft 2018 News: Members of the Phoenix Suns Comment on What Should Be Done With the First Overall Pick
The Phoenix Suns have possession of what is widely considered to be the most valuable in the NBA, with that being the number one overall pick in the draft.
Of course, the Suns are still tasked with maximizing the value of that pick, meaning they need to choose the right player to add to their roster.
At this point in the pre-draft process, it seems fairly obvious that the Arizona Wildcats' DeAndre Ayton and Real Madrid's Luka Doncic have emerged as the frontrunners to be selected first overall.
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The Suns don't need to make their decision until June 21, but that hasn't prevented some members of the franchise from offering their thoughts on what should be done with the valuable pick.
First off, Suns' forward and 2017 fourth overall selection Josh Jackson put forth a suggestion regarding who the Suns should select. Jackson recently said that he would like to see the team add a big man, and he believes that Ayton is the best big man prospect in this year's class, AZcentral reported.
Jackson also said that he has been following Ayton over the past few years, and he has seen the big man add something new to his arsenal coming out of every offseason. Jackson also thinks that Ayton possesses plenty of untapped potential.
Suns general manager Ryan McDonough also shared some interesting details regarding how the franchise is planning to handle the pre-draft process ahead of making the first overall selection.
Speaking recently to AZcentral, McDonough said that the team will hold off on making a final decision until the last few days before the draft. McDonough also indicated that the franchise will consider five to 10 candidates for the pick, including Ayton, Doncic, Marvin Bagley III of the Duke Blue Devils and Mohamed Bamba of the Texas Longhorns.
Still, the belief around the league is that the Suns' final decision will boil down to Ayton or Doncic, and McDonough even gave brief scouting reports for the two players upon being asked.
It's no surprise that McDonough opted against naming who he thinks the Suns should take with the first overall pick, since doing so may put the franchise in a tough spot.
This is the first time in Suns' history that they will have the number one pick in the draft, and the last thing they should do is to commit to taking a specific player now when they don't need to do so for at least another month. Instead, what the Suns should do is carefully evaluate all the top prospects in the draft and see which one offers the best combination of capacity to make an immediate impact and still provide exciting long-term upside.
The Suns still have time on their side, and they need to make the most of it in order to make sure that they take the right player first overall. Failure to do that could set the franchise back for years to come.
More news about the 2018 NBA draft should be made available soon.
