Arizona’s Deandre Ayton leaving early for NBA
March 21, 2018 - 1:30 pm
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona freshman big man Deandre Ayton is leaving early for the NBA after one dominating season.
Ayton made the announcement on his Twitter feed Wednesday.
The 7-foot-1, 260-pound Ayton was named the Pac-12 player of the year in 2017-18 after averaging 20.1 points on 61 percent shooting and 11.6 rebounds per game.
I’m just a kid from the Bahamas who came to the States when I was 12 years old with a dream. I can’t say anything about this journey other than that it’s God’s Plan 🙏🏾 Next Stop: 2018 NBA Draft #BullySeason #242toTheWorld pic.twitter.com/6f9igjMrU8
— Deandre Ayton (@DeandreAyton) March 21, 2018
The Bahamian big man has the size of a center, but the athleticism of a small forward. He has excellent footwork, a good midrange jump shot and passes well out of double teams, traits that have him projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft, possibly the No. 1 overall pick.