Bear Down Wildcats

Beachcat97 wrote:Ayton's the best thing to happen to this program in a while.

I am pretty sure you said this about Lauri last year, and Anderson the year before, and Johnson the year before, and Gordon the year before...............................

PieceOfMeat wrote:Hrm, I thought it was rather obvious I was joking. what with the two laughing smileys and the mention of dreaming and the fact that he's obviously (and should be) gone after this year.

I know you're joking. I was posting more about the fact that, as big of a U of A fan as I am, I'd tell Ayton to leave. He's too good for CBB.

PHXCATS wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:Ayton's the best thing to happen to this program in a while.

I am pretty sure you said this about Lauri last year, and Anderson the year before, and Johnson the year before, and Gordon the year before...............................

He was right each and every time.

YoDeFoe wrote:

PHXCATS wrote:

Beachcat97 wrote:Ayton's the best thing to happen to this program in a while.

I am pretty sure you said this about Lauri last year, and Anderson the year before, and Johnson the year before, and Gordon the year before...............................

He was right each and every time.

of those
1) Ayton
2) Gordon
3) Lauri
4) Johnson
5) Anderson

We are talking about the same Ryan Anderson, right? WTF.

TucsonClip wrote:We are talking about the same Ryan Anderson, right? WTF.

I honestly didn't even see Anderson's name in there haha

I'd agree with PHX's list and just cut Anderson.

Slot DWill / that whole class we stole into the number one spot.

I agree with the list, as long as we're talking Sadiki Johnson.

Longhorned wrote:I agree with the list, as long as we're talking Sadiki Johnson.

Is "Sad"iki an intentional misspelling?

It totally works if it is.

I don't see how you can argue any part of the 15-16 team as the best anything to happen at Arizona. That isn't even our best first round exit team.

Have to share this...

Deandre Ayton has surpassed Luka Doncic as the No. 1 prospect in the class at this point. That’s through no fault of Doncic, who is still the most accomplished teenage European player of at least the last three decades and possibly of all-time. He would be a worthy No. 1 overall pick in many drafts. If I end with him at No. 1 by the time June 21 rolls around, I won’t be surprised.

Right now though, it’s hard for me to get past this when it comes to Ayton: If everything breaks right, he has the physical tools to be one of the most physically dominant, yet modernly-skilled, basketball players to enter the NBA in decades.

In term of measurables, Ayton is what a scientist would create as the perfect basketball player physically. He’s more than 7-feet tall with a +5 wingspan and 260 pounds perfectly proportioned across both his lower and upper half. And even with that frame, he’s an elite athlete with a reported 40-inch vertical leap and the lateral agility to stick with guards and smaller players out on the perimeter. His hard-eye coordination and muscular fluidity are superb and allow him to shoot 3s, drive and attack closeouts, and catch every pass thrown his way.

Those skills are all apparent in his production. He's on pace to become the first freshman in the last quarter-century to average at least 19.5 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting more than 60 percent from the field. He’ll be just the second high-major conference player to reach those statistical thresholds. The first was Tim Duncan.

But all of those facts were true a month ago, when Ayton was No. 2 on my board. What’s changed? Well, after a slow start defensively, Ayton is figuring things out, and that’s terrifying for the rest of the basketball world.

Because of his outstanding mobility at his size, Ayton has been a stout defender on the perimeter all season, though he’s often been pigeonholed playing the 4 next to Dusan Ristic. But if you’re 7 feet tall, you’re ultimately going to be judged defensively by what you do at the rim.

While that concerned many early in the season, in large part because of Arizona’s defensive struggles, it may not be fair to pin those issues on Ayton. Among the 440 players tracked by Synergy’s database to have contested at least 25 shots at the rim, Ayton ranks 20th nationally in percentage against at the rim, allowing opponents to shoot just 30.6 percent.

Although that’s an extremely limited sample of shots, the tape backs up the fact that Ayton is exceedingly difficult to score on when he’s at the rim. In the examples below, you’ll see not just his ability to use his length to cause issues for opponents, but also of his ability to move his feet, open his hips and slide with smaller opposing drivers.

Now, he’s not perfect. He still doesn’t have the greatest instincts in terms of help-side rotations when one of his teammates gets beaten. That needs to improve at the NBA level, and it’ll be a process early in his career. But he’s improving there as the season goes on, and it’ll be easier when he’s playing the 5 full-time in the NBA for him to get reps.

When you combine the ceiling he has on defense with the already established offensive production, it’s hard not to see Ayton as a Karl-Anthony Towns-level prospect. And given that Towns has put up historic numbers for his age in his first two seasons, that’s saying a lot.

"He looks a little winded..."sic one of the announcers said.

No wonder.

Ayton battling strep throat

Alkins was not the only one who missed practice this week.

Star freshman Deandre Ayton missed a day and a half after coming down with strep throat.

Ayton still played 37 minutes against Colorado, but Miller thought the illness affected his performance.

“He got on the medicine and really started to feel better yesterday and today but watching him out there, he did the best he could, but I don’t know if he was at full-go,” Miller said.

Ayton finished with 20 points on 10 shots (he made all 12 of his free throws), but was limited to six rebounds.

“He didn’t get an offensive rebound in 37 minutes,” Miller said. “That’s unlike him.”

Still, Miller is not concerned about Ayton and said he thinks the big man will “return to form” Saturday vs. Utah.

“He’s 100 percent, but it’s like anybody you miss practice, you have strep throat, you don’t feel completely 100 percent,” Miller said.

“My hope is the next couple days he will.”

https://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketbal ... ylan-smith" target="_blank

Ayton is forcing these 15-footers. So many times, he's got his man up on him, and can easily take him on the dribble. The 15-footers are golden when he has some space. Otherwise, he needs to make his defender pay.

I'm a tad worried his rebounding numbers have ticked down. The last 3 games are the first 3 game stretch he's had all year without a game in double figures on the glass.

Longhorned wrote:Ayton is forcing these 15-footers. So many times, he's got his man up on him, and can easily take him on the dribble. The 15-footers are golden when he has some space. Otherwise, he needs to make his defender pay.

He's learned that if he drives and the defender falls down, he's going to get whistled. Hard to expect him to drive when people flop and he gets rung up time after time.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:I'm a tad worried his rebounding numbers have ticked down. The last 3 games are the first 3 game stretch he's had all year without a game in double figures on the glass.

I'm wondering if he's frustrated by the contact that he's seeing every minute of every game from every angle. It seems like he's constantly surrounded by at least two opposing players, and it seems like those players are allowed to throw themselves at Ayton while he has to be careful not to knock them over with a single step.

Hopefully I'm wrong and it's just the strep, but this is the middle of the conference season marathon and I hope Ayton is mentally in it.

I don't need Ayton going balls out on every play in January. Don't really need that in February either. Get me to March healthy and hungry. That's it.

Longhorned wrote:Ayton is forcing these 15-footers. So many times, he's got his man up on him, and can easily take him on the dribble. The 15-footers are golden when he has some space. Otherwise, he needs to make his defender pay.

And when he starts making them pay, he will have a lot more open 15 footers. Big man's conundrum.

YoDeFoe wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:I'm a tad worried his rebounding numbers have ticked down. The last 3 games are the first 3 game stretch he's had all year without a game in double figures on the glass.

I'm wondering if he's frustrated by the contact that he's seeing every minute of every game from every angle. It seems like he's constantly surrounded by at least two opposing players, and it seems like those players are allowed to throw themselves at Ayton while he has to be careful not to knock them over with a single step.

Hopefully I'm wrong and it's just the strep, but this is the middle of the conference season marathon and I hope Ayton is mentally in it.

Maybe. Not allowing frustration to bleed into other facets is important and something a lot of young guys struggle with.

I'd talk to him this way: when he dunks and offensive rebound, you can't double team that. Being active on the glass allows him to get his regardless of the bumper cars defenders play with him.

97cats wrote:as i was watching friday night all i kept saying was Olajuwon - Olajuwon - Olajuwon

every time i watch all i keep sayin is Olajuwon - Olajuwon - Olajuwon

97cats wrote:

97cats wrote:as i was watching friday night all i kept saying was Olajuwon - Olajuwon - Olajuwon

every time i watch all i keep sayin is Olajuwon - Olajuwon - Olajuwon

He was amazing tonight and I'm not sure if he even broke a sweat.

Amazing talent

97cats wrote:

97cats wrote:as i was watching friday night all i kept saying was Olajuwon - Olajuwon - Olajuwon

every time i watch all i keep sayin is Olajuwon - Olajuwon - Olajuwon.... in Patrick Ewing's body.

FIFY

I have said exactly what is posted above to anyone who will listen since the first time I saw him play this year.

If we didn't have to recruit other players, and didn't have players with ambitions, we could just back-screen to lob every play until they put 5 there, or a guy on someone's shoulders. Practice could be nothing but throwing the perfect lob that only he can get.

Jesus, our bigs looked good together last night. I get it was WSU. WSU is still a D1 team...sorta.

Hoping that when we get to the tourney, Ayton goes hard every play and just dominates and averages like 30 and 20. Dude is really unstoppable

He could have scored a million and grabbed a million boards last night.

Side note.

There was an earlier Ringer article criticizing Ayton for only a 4.3% block rate. He's quietly upped that to 60% for the year. In conference play, he's almost doubled it with a 7.6% block rate. Long story short, the weird part of him being a subpar shot blocker for his physical tools is slowly receding. He's now a plus rim protector, and here's hoping the trend continues.

I'm interested in seeing him dominate the boards against shameless zone D-only team.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:Side note.

There was an earlier Ringer article criticizing Ayton for only a 4.3% block rate. He's quietly upped that to 60% for the year. In conference play, he's almost doubled it with a 7.6% block rate. Long story short, the weird part of him being a subpar shot blocker for his physical tools is slowly receding. He's now a plus rim protector, and here's hoping the trend continues.

He has the most blocks on a season of anyone that has played for Miller already.

Harvey Specter wrote:

97cats wrote:

97cats wrote:as i was watching friday night all i kept saying was Olajuwon - Olajuwon - Olajuwon

every time i watch all i keep sayin is Olajuwon - Olajuwon - Olajuwon.... in Patrick Ewing's body.

FIFY

I have said exactly what is posted above to anyone who will listen since the first time I saw him play this year.

Well, there is enough room for Olajuwon and Ayton in Ewing's body at this point

Olsondogg wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:Side note.

There was an earlier Ringer article criticizing Ayton for only a 4.3% block rate. He's quietly upped that to 60% for the year. In conference play, he's almost doubled it with a 7.6% block rate. Long story short, the weird part of him being a subpar shot blocker for his physical tools is slowly receding. He's now a plus rim protector, and here's hoping the trend continues.

He has the most blocks on a season of anyone that has played for Miller already.

Yeah. His weakness is fast becoming a(nother) strength. What weaknesses are we down to? Not that good at left handed 3 point shots?

As a basketball player he has no weaknesses, except for the penchant for officials to swallow their whistle when he touches the ball (dude gets more hands on him than Jon Bon Jovi).

Olsondogg wrote:As a basketball player he has no weaknesses, except for the penchant for officials to swallow their whistle when he touches the ball (dude gets more hands on him than Jon Bon Jovi).

Sometimes he yells after viciously dunking on a guy who slapped him and gets a T. He should yodel instead of yelling.

http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_ ... -nba-draft" target="_blank

I don't have insider, but another Ayton draft article.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_ ... -nba-draft

I don't have insider, but another Ayton draft article.

http://insider2text.xyz/articles/ed0284740d8774cd" target="_blank

25 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks tonight.

Averaged 24 and 17.5 in two games vs ASU. We will probably never see another talent like him.

If we lost I would still be pissed about that horrible 3 he took. Other than that, guy was unstoppable, feed him every possession.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:25 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks tonight.

Averaged 24 and 17.5 in two games vs ASU. We will probably never see another talent like him.

Why isn’t anyone talking about him as the clear cut PAC-12 player of the year?

NYCat wrote:If we lost I would still be pissed about that horrible 3 he took. Other than that, guy was unstoppable, feed him every possession.

I think he was having Dusan envy on that play. I'll give him a pass this time.

He's the best player the school has ever seen. Been on that wagon and I'm not jumping off

Ayton's ESPN segment is up next

Ayton deserves all the hype. He was a force tonight. We need him showing out like this to win big games. No regressing, young man!

Grown ass man

as long as he dons an Arizona uniform the Wildcats have a legit chance to beat any team in the nation.

he is unreal

97cats wrote:as long as he dons an Arizona uniform the Wildcats have a legit chance to beat any team in the nation.

he is unreal

This.

It is unbelievable how skilled he is. While I admit I haven't seen much of the other players that are going to high in the draft, I would find it hard to believe Ayton doesn't go #1.

I have no words.. Incredible.

Ayton is the reason that I like our chances in the tournament, regardless of what happens between now and Selection Sunday. He’s simply a game-changer. It’s nice to have “that guy” on our team for once. He’s Oden. He’s Towns. He’s AD. He’s that guy who can be the difference in a single-game elimination format. I believe.

Can you imagine Ayton playing with spacing around him? Dude is a star. An NBA star playing in college.

TucsonClip wrote:Can you imagine Ayton playing with spacing around him? Dude is a star. An NBA star playing in college.

ASU was basically tripling him most of the game, and yet he still found ways to be effective. He passes well out of multiple defenders swarming him, knows which way to pivot, and has a natural feel for the game that is just mind-blowing for such a young, inexperienced player. He's already hitting those 15 footers fairly consistently. If he stretches his shooting even farther out, with consistency...damn. Here's hoping he has his best stretch as a Wildcat beginning in the big tourney. He can be our Carmelo Anthony.

TucsonClip wrote:Can you imagine Ayton playing with spacing around him? Dude is a star. An NBA star playing in college.

Player spacing, yes. But even just space. Hopefully tourney refs will call it better, but it’s hard when triple teams are allowed to press their bodies against his and then fall over when he moves and get the offensive foul call. He’s the only player on the court who’s denied his legal right to a cylinder of space centered on his axis.