DeAndre Ayton Taken No. 1 by Suns in 2018 NBA Draft; Skip Bayless Applauds Pick

The Phoenix Suns have a new franchise centerpiece, and his name is Deandre Ayton.

Following a sensational freshman season with the Arizona Wildcats, Ayton came off the board at No. 1 overall Thursday and will now join forces with Devin Booker to try to lift the Suns back to the playoffs for the first time since 2009-10. 

Fox Sports' Skip Bayless said the pick was "troubling" after Arizona was upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament but ultimately approved:

The fourth-ranked recruit in the class of 2017, according to 247Sports, Ayton exceeded all the hype that accompanied his arrival at Arizona. 

In 35 games during his lone campaign with the Wildcats, the 7'1", 250-pound unicorn averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 61.2 percent from the field and a respectable 12-of-35 (34.3 percent) from three. 

Ayton, who proved capable of doing damage inside and out, finished the season shooting 81.2 percent at the rim and 42.9 percent on all two-point jump shots, according to Hoop-Math.com. 

DeAndre Ayton Highlights

"The post was Ayton's office, where be began to demand double-teams," Bleacher Report draft expert Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "He shot 50.0 percent from the left block and 59.6 percent from the right. Ayton burned defenders with spin moves, drop-steps and fadeaways, but also the ability to face up and take a short jump shot. 

"He often made defenses pay for doubling down. On those possessions, he generated 1.29 PPP (95th percentile), with teammates shooting 56.9 percent on his pass outs (1.491 PPP, 91st percentile)."

That polish should make Ayton an immediate centerpiece of the Suns offense. 

If there's a concern, it's with his defense. 

Ayton underwhelmed as a rim protector throughout his freshman season, and a lack of awareness in space proved glaring on several occasions—including Arizona's loss to Buffalo in the first round of the NCAA tournament. 

"Ayton doesn't have natural shot-blocking instincts. I've been saying that for years," a recruiting analyst told The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks. "He might be the first positionless 5 on offense who doesn't want to be a 5 on defense. He's so strange."

Those deficiencies will give Ayton plenty to work on when he arrives in Phoenix, but it's clear he has the foundation in place to soon become one of the league's most dynamic players. 

And now that he can be penciled in alongside Devin Booker and Josh Jackson as a franchise cornerstone, the Suns can begin their climb out of the Western Conference cellar and start to carve out a path back to the playoffs.