Arizona's Ayton makes case to be No. 1 overall pick
Arizona Wildcats big man Deandre Ayton is sure to be a top prospect in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Riding the high of a big night in the Pac-12 tournament, he says he should be the No. 1 overall pick.
Fresh off a dominant 32-point, 14-rebound performance in a 78-67 overtime semifinal win against UCLA on Friday, Ayton laid out his case for being the top pick.
"Nobody has the competitiveness like me, you know what I'm saying?'" said Ayton, per USA Today. "I think I'm different from everybody else. That's about it. Play hard, I play hard every day. Got a country on my back that I'm representing."
The 7-foot-1 forward from the Bahamas made 13 of his 16 shots in the semifinal win -- and he was even better in leading the Wildcats to the final on Saturday. Ayton finished with 32 points and 18 rebounds as Arizona defeated Southern California 75-61.
Ayton, chosen the Pac-12 tournament's most valuable player, is averaging 20.3 points and 11.5 rebounds on the season.
He faced some controversy late in the season when an ESPN report claimed Arizona coach Sean Miller had been caught on an FBI wiretap offering $100,000 to make sure Ayton signed with the Wildcats.
Miller has denied the claim, and has since rejoined the team after briefly stepping away following the report.
Ayton, who also denies any wrongdoing and didn't miss any games in the wake of the report, blasted the story on Friday night.
"That's full of (expletive). I don't really engage in foolishness, no. I just keep my head on my shoulders and I do what I've got to do.'"
--Field Level Media
