Superstar comparisons for the NBA's young guns: Part 2

#4 DeAndre Ayton - Patrick Ewing

It might seem sacrilegious to associate a rookie center not known for his defense to one of the great defensive anchors of all time in Ewing, but allow me to expand on why.

For starters, just take one look at the two men. The physical similarities are too eery to miss out on. Ayton, like Ewing, is a Greek God, a physical specimen the likes of which does not come along often. If either of the pairs were just rim-running bigs in the manner of DeAndre Jordan, they'd still be regarded as some of the best centers in today's league.

But Ayton is far more than just a physical specimen. His polished technique in the low post, textbook spin moves and turnaround jumpers, mid-range game and finesse while finishing through traffic are quite advanced for a 19-year-old rookie.

He was placed among one of the worse defensive teams in college, which is why his defense was not allowed to flower as it could've. The jump to the NBA is going to be that much tougher, but Ayton's excellent physical tools are a pretty good starting sign that he will eventually figure it out on that end.