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Prospects to keep an eye on during March Madness

By Ryan Doyle

ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 09: Collin Sexton #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates in the 81-63 win over the Auburn Tigers during the quarterfinals round of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 9, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 09: Collin Sexton #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates in the 81-63 win over the Auburn Tigers during the quarterfinals round of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 9, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Deandre Ayton, Arizona Wildcats
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 10: Deandre Ayton #13 of the Arizona Wildcats reacts after dunking against the USC Trojans during the championship game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 75-61. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Deandre Ayton, Arizona

vs. Buffalo, March 15/9:40 p.m. (CBS)

Magic fans, take a look at Dwight Howard and then go watch Deandre Ayton play.

Physically, Ayton looks like a Howard clone and he plays with the same ferocity. If Orlando has some lottery luck and grabs a top-three pick, Ayton might be the next great Magic center.

At the moment, Ayton projects as a massive center who can protect the rim and bruise inside to score. But he has also shown hints of an outside shot and could help floor spacing with time.

In today’s NBA, Ayton’s skillset seems to fit the mold of the prototypical center. If all goes well, he may play much like 76ers big man Joel Embiid. When the Wildcats are on, Magic fans should take a close look at the potential center of the future.

Mohamad Bamba, Texas

vs. Nevada, March 16/4:30 p.m. (TBS)

Another top prospect at center, Mohamad Bamba has been stellar for the Texas Longhorns in his freshman campaign. The lanky, 230-pound big man has been a force in the paint averaging 3.7 blocks per game, which is second in the nation.

The question with Bamba is his offensive game. Like most bigs, it will take him a while to get his footing on the NBA level.

If he can bring his defensive prowess to the next level he will be a valuable asset from day one. If he can develop offensively, Bamba could be a building block for the league’s basement teams.

Orlando may seem stuck at center now, due to the paydays of Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo, but the current front office did not sign those guys. Weltman and company could free up minutes for Bamba if they believe he is the answer at the five.