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I wanted to start a thread on Ayo because I’ve been geeking out over him for the past month and can’t find anywhere that’s paying much attention to him.

I’m personally a huge fan of his game and I think he will be a big sleeper in this draft. I have him as this year’s Mitchell/SGA/Haliburton prospect who slides to the late lottery (or after) and then goes on to out perform most rookies taken above him.

But I can’t get a solid feel for where he’s going to be drafted. He’s mocked all over the place, from late lottery to late 1st round.

Has anyone looked into him much? He seems to be the complete package skill wise, being average at worst on most things. What separates him from others, to me, is his drive to improve. He seems like a workaholic, like Jimmy Butler. Great leadership intangibles, and someone who’s up for taking the big shots in tight situations.

What am I missing with him?

problem with Ayo is that he doesn't really have any outlier skills or toolsets, he's fine across the board but it's hard to say specifically what role/niche he can fill early, and he's a combo guard, which is usually good, but he's not great at either shooting or playmaking, he's fine in both areas but again nothing really sticks out for him.

i wouldn't be surprised if he eventually turns into something in the NBA, but it's hard to justify taking him top25 imo in this class.

My best guess is early to mid 20's. He could be a good role player option for a contender. My issue with him has always been his inconsistency and disappearance in certain big games.

Bensational wrote:I can’t get a solid feel for where he’s going to be drafted. He’s mocked all over the place, from late lottery to late 1st round.

I feel like it's pretty consistent - pretty much all mocks I've seen have him in the 20-30 range.

I haven't really checked him out much yet..

I think he's being underrated. He's not a great shooter, but he is good enough you can't leave him open, and he has a good dribble + drive game that will be more effective at the next level as long as he is a plus athlete. I feel like he should be in consideration as a late lottery pick.

clyde21 wrote:problem with Ayo is that he doesn't really have any outlier skills or toolsets, he's fine across the board but it's hard to say specifically what role/niche he can fill early, and he's a combo guard, which is usually good, but he's not great at either shooting or playmaking, he's fine in both areas but again nothing really sticks out for him.

i wouldn't be surprised if he eventually turns into something in the NBA, but it's hard to justify taking him top25 imo in this class.

Kind of what I am seeing falls into same cat as maybe Ochai as far as solid but not great at anything stock in the early 2nd
but I could see either one of them getting looks higher than that maybe 25-30 range if they show something in workouts that teams did not get to see in the systems they played in

Stillwater wrote:

clyde21 wrote:problem with Ayo is that he doesn't really have any outlier skills or toolsets, he's fine across the board but it's hard to say specifically what role/niche he can fill early, and he's a combo guard, which is usually good, but he's not great at either shooting or playmaking, he's fine in both areas but again nothing really sticks out for him.

i wouldn't be surprised if he eventually turns into something in the NBA, but it's hard to justify taking him top25 imo in this class.

Kind of what I am seeing falls into same cat as maybe Ochai as far as solid but not great at anything stock in the early 2nd
but I could see either one of them getting looks higher than that maybe 25-30 range if they show something in workouts that teams did not get to see in the systems they played in

i like Ochai a bit better, better physical profile, better on D and I think his shot translates easier. more of a clear path as an off-ball guard than Ayo.

I'm not as big a fan of Ayo.

I don't think he's a good enough slasher to make up for being so unwilling a shooter. Also, he doesn't make enough plays defensively, for my liking.

He should go in the lottery.

clyde21 wrote:problem with Ayo is that he doesn't really have any outlier skills or toolsets, he's fine across the board but it's hard to say specifically what role/niche he can fill early, and he's a combo guard, which is usually good, but he's not great at either shooting or playmaking, he's fine in both areas but again nothing really sticks out for him.

i wouldn't be surprised if he eventually turns into something in the NBA, but it's hard to justify taking him top25 imo in this class.

I think it's fair to say he doesn't have any particular area of his game that puts him in the elite range, but I would consider him high-end amongst this draft class on most fronts. Beyond that, I think there are some 'intangibles' he has which might meet that criteria, though they're hard to quantify. For me, I think he has a dedication and leadership that could see him transcend his physical/skill limitations. Jimmy Butler is the comp I keep coming back to in that regard, though their games aren't really similar.

He also has that hunger to be 'the guy', and has done well in that role this season. Some of the things he's been doing which are elite, are:

Ayo Dosunmu led the nation in crunch-time shooting percentage in 2020-21 — making 50% of his field-goal attempts in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime. Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham, considered by many as the optimal 2021 NBA Draft No. 1 selection, made 47%.

He was one of the most efficient pick-and-roll players in the college game, per Synergy Sports Technology, converting 42% of his pull-up jumpers, the third-best rate among draft prospects, while also ranking third in transition scoring.

- from Clutch Points.

That, along with the improvements he's shown over his time spent in college are what give me a sense he's just starting to step into his potential right now.

I like Ayo's ability. He's big and strong enough to bully his way past most PGs and can out-quick bigs. He made 39% of his 3's, but he was always known as a poor shooter until last season. He's gotta prove he can be a legit 3 point threat in the NBA. And as Bensational said, his intangibles are a plus.

The combine will probably help him imo

Ruzious wrote:I like Ayo's ability. He's big and strong enough to bully his way past most PGs and can out-quick bigs. He made 39% of his 3's, but he was always known as a poor shooter until last season. He's gotta prove he can be a legit 3 point threat in the NBA. And as Bensational said, his intangibles are a plus.

I think he’s worked hard to improve his shooting but looking at his college stats he shot 36% from 3 as a freshman on more attempts than he had this year as a junior. Last year (sophomore) he dropped to 29% from 3, so that seems to be what’s driving that opinion. He has improved his FT% year on year which is another good sign.

That rep might be a big part of why he could slide and become a steal though.

Stillwater wrote:The combine will probably help him imo

If he shows up well at the Combine and can show some "3" Ball consistency in Individual Team workouts I think he could go as high as 19. I don't see Ayo lasting until the 2nd Round. I could see him getting Drafted by the Knicks (they have 2 picks currently projected at #19 and #21). He'd be a good pick by the Lakers currently projected to be #22. Houston has 3 picks, the lower of the 3 are currently being slotted at #23 and #24. He could go there depending on which direction the Rockets go with their Lottery Pick. Brooklyn currently slotted at #27 could use him with Spencer Dinwiddie testing the Free Agent waters.

Almost Retired wrote:

Stillwater wrote:The combine will probably help him imo

If he shows up well at the Combine and can show some "3" Ball consistency in Individual Team workouts I think he could go as high as 19. I don't see Ayo lasting until the 2nd Round. I could see him getting Drafted by the Knicks (they have 2 picks currently projected at #19 and #21). He'd be a good pick by the Lakers currently projected to be #22. Houston has 3 picks, the lower of the 3 are currently being slotted at #23 and #24. He could go there depending on which direction the Rockets go with their Lottery Pick. Brooklyn currently slotted at #27 could use him with Spencer Dinwiddie testing the Free Agent waters.

I bet his speed is above average , his motor surely is. I think in a fast paced offense he could become a big time steal late first.

He seems like a somewhat more athletic Shake Milton to me, but he was making progress with his playmaking towards the end of this season. I prefer Jaden Springer overall, in case Springer somehow slips in the draft.