Ayton or Doncic?

Ayton or Doncic

  • Ayton

  • Doncic

  • Neither


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CardsSunsDbacks

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I have a horrible feeling this is gonna be Oden Durant II.
Except the only reason that happened the way it did was because Oden's injuries. Had Oden not had all the injury issues we might be seeing things much differently. It's also ridiculously early to make statements like this as neither player will hit their absolute peak for 6-8 years.
 

sdscard4

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Durant has been a stud since he stepped on the court...there was no peaking. I hope I'm horribly wrong but Luka sure looks great
 

GatorAZ

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Oden was pretty good in limited minutes with Portland. His body was just so screwed up from an early age.
 

SirStefan32

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It is NOT going to be a Durant/ Oden situation, barring surprising injuries. While Durant would have ended up being a better player even without injuries to Oden, Oden was actually a very good player when he could play.

Doncic may end up being the best player from the 2018 draft, but Ayton is going to be an excellent player as well. Big men take a few years to develop, and Ayton is, despite what most people here are saying, already an incredibly skilled basketball player. He'll never have Luka's nastiness, but he has athleticism Luka will never have, so it should even out.

And this is coming from a huge Doncic fan.
 

CardsSunsDbacks

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Durant has been a stud since he stepped on the court...there was no peaking. I hope I'm horribly wrong but Luka sure looks great
There was absolutely peaking. Are you seriously suggesting that Durant isn't any better today than he was in his first couple years in the league?
 

SirStefan32

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There was absolutely peaking. Are you seriously suggesting that Durant isn't any better today than he was in his first couple years in the league?

I agree. Durant was a good player as a rookie, but he exploded near the end of his sophmore year and into his third year, and he has improved considerably each year since. He became a much better shooter, a much better passer, and a much better defender.
 

Hoop Head

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I can see saying that Durant hasn't peaked only because he's been on this gradual ascension it's hard to really pinpoint where he "broke out". He's been a great scorer since the Sonics became the Thunders and he joined the Warriors without his numbers really changing. It's unusual how well he's fit in.
 

CardsSunsDbacks

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The current version of Durant would make young Durant look silly if they could somehow play each other. He has just gotten so much better at everything and is now arguably the best player in the game.
 

sdscard4

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I'm sure playing on the Warriors has helped those numbers. It's a whole different game when he joined them.
 

CardsSunsDbacks

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I'm sure playing on the Warriors has helped those numbers. It's a whole different game when he joined them.
He was much better in his last few years with OKC than he was in his first few years in the league as well. Just because he was good early doesn't mean that he didn't get a lot better from there.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html

Just look at these stats and then tell me that he didn't get better year by year.
 

sdscard4

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He was much better in his last few years with OKC than he was in his first few years in the league as well. Just because he was good early doesn't mean that he didn't get a lot better from there.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html

Just look at these stats and then tell me that he didn't get better year by year.
My whole thing is Durant has been a stud his entire career. He got older became a better player...having Westbrook opened up his game...I don't know if I'd call it peaking but he did improve his stats
 

1tinsoldier

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i was so reluctant to be the first to suggest Ayton was "soft"
that i covered it with **** for a month
i REALLY hate to suggest this now
but the time has come --
it looks like we made a mistake by picking Ayton over Doncic

bleacherreport headline:
Luka Doncic Goes on Dazzling 11-0 Run by Himself, Drops 21 in Win vs. Rockets

if things go as planned, however,
i hope to say in 3 years that Ayton grew a pair
and Doncic put on more weight and is slower than he already is
 
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CardsSunsDbacks

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i was so reluctant to be the first to suggest Ayton was "soft"
that i covered it with **** for a month
i REALLY hate to suggest this now
but the time has come --
it looks like we made a mistake by picking Ayton over Doncic

bleacherreport headline:
Luka Doncic Goes on Dazzling 11-0 Run by Himself, Drops 21 in Win vs. Rockets

if things go as planned, however,
i hope to say in 3 years that Ayton grew a pair
and Doncic put on more weight and is slower than he already is
The time has not come for that.............................

There is no way of knowing right now who will be the better player down the line. Great players are usually not near their peak in their rookie season....
 

1tinsoldier

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i agree
but, today, if the Suns could switch Ayton for Doncic
they probably would

and so would every other team unless they're confident in their coaching staff

regardless,
i'm happy to have Ayton
and i believe he'll work out fine
 

GatorAZ

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i agree
but, today, if the Suns could switch Ayton for Doncic
they probably would

and so would every other team unless they're confident in their coaching staff

regardless,
i'm happy to have Ayton
and i believe he'll work out fine

In hindsight you take Luka, still trade for Bridges and draft Mitchell Robinson at #31.
 

Russ Smith

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I think Doncic is better right now but Ayton has a higher ceiling because of his size and athletic ability. They are very different life stories too, Doncic grew up playing hoops, he's been playing pro ball as long as Ayton has been playing basketball in total.

The concern on Ayton is will get tougher, will he play with a mean streak on defense, as others have said the concern on Doncic is his body type he's going to have to dedicate himself to working out and nutrition because his body appears to be one that's inclined to be a bit too thick.

He's a terrific player, when the Warriors played the Mavs it was obvious how good he was, even Iggy was struggling to guard him.
 

Covert Rain

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I think Doncic is better right now but Ayton has a higher ceiling because of his size and athletic ability. They are very different life stories too, Doncic grew up playing hoops, he's been playing pro ball as long as Ayton has been playing basketball in total.

The concern on Ayton is will get tougher, will he play with a mean streak on defense, as others have said the concern on Doncic is his body type he's going to have to dedicate himself to working out and nutrition because his body appears to be one that's inclined to be a bit too thick.

He's a terrific player, when the Warriors played the Mavs it was obvious how good he was, even Iggy was struggling to guard him.

Almost every scout leading up to the draft said Doncic was more "ready" to play in the NBA. I would expect him to hit the ground running.

I have watched him a couple games now. He is fun to watch.
 

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