It’s fair to say former University of Arizona standout Deandre Ayton failed to meet the NBA hype.
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers center’s NBA career is not over, it’s an objective truth at this juncture that both Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are superior players who should have gone No. 1 overall in the 2018 NBA draft instead with hindsight.
It’s even fair to argue that others in that draft class like Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges have been better in the pros than Ayton since being drafted.
The Lakers signed Ayton to a multi-year contract last summer after he was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers.