Breaking down 2017's top ranked player DeAndre Ayton

Seven-footer DeAndre Ayton lost his status as the top-ranked player in the class of 2017 coming out of last summer.

While working his way back from injury last summer, Ayton was often disinterested and didn't put up the type of production that one would expect from the No. 1 player in the country.

Ayton, however, came back to life during his junior season at Phoenix (Ariz.) Hillcrest, and played with vengeance while earning back the top spot. He's continued to play with that drive during the grassroots season, averaging 19.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for California Supreme in Nike's EYBL. Kansas, Arizona, Kentucky and UCLA are watching closely.

Today, we look at film from Ayton's EYBL run and discuss his strengths, where he can expand his game and who could catch him for the top spot in 2017.

Watching Ayton play, what often stands out most is how well he runs the floor. Even in a cut-up highlight package you can see that he is constantly beating other big men from rim to rim. It allows for many easy touches and conversions, which help him score efficiently.

It is one thing to beat an opponent to a scoring area as a young big man, it's another to do something once you are there. That's where Ayton's hands come into play. He catches just about everything thrown his way and because of his good hands, he has nice touch all the way out to the three-point line.

If he doesn't have a good scoring opportunity, he is an excellent passer out of double teams. He's even more dangerous out of the high post with his ability to look over the top of defenses. He's arguably the best passing big man in 2017.

Finally, there is the job that Ayton does rebounding. We've already discussed his hands but he's very coordinated and has great anticipation, meaning he's an excellent out-of-his-area rebounder on top of taking care of his section of the floor.

While Ayton has good touch down low and can make a jump hook, he could benefit greatly by diversifying his low-post game. He doesn't yet counter well if his initial move is stopped and he seems to do most of his damage from the right side of the floor. He's a pretty good finisher with his left hand and it would be a huge boost if he can become more comfortable on the left side of the floor.

The ability to make a jump shot is both a gift and a curse for a young big man like Ayton. He's got the ability to either roll to the rim or pop for a jumper in ball screen action. He's also got it in him to settle for too many deep jumpers. He's an 82-percent free throw shooter and has legitimate three-point range, but because he sometimes hunts jumpers instead of posting his shooting percentage from deep (26.7 percent) is lower than it would be with more judicious shot selection.

This spring, Ayton has blocked 1.7 shots per game. That's a good number, but he has the tools to be much more effective as a shot blocker and defender in general. He is patient and could probably be a little more aggressive as a help-side defender to clean up teammates' mistakes. He could also add to his steal totals by being a bit more aggressive in initial ball denial as a low-post defender. He does, however, move his feet very well when caught in switches against smaller players.

As things stand, it looks like any competition for Ayton's No. 1 spot will come from No. 2 Michael Porter, No. 3 Mohamed Bamba and No. 4 Wendell Carter, who all play in the EYBL against Ayton.

A 6-foot-8 wing, Porter has been sensational in EYBL play, averaging 22.8 points and 10.9 rebounds while making an impressive 58.7 percent of his shots.

Bamba is likely the top rebounder in the class, has developing offense and the 6-foot-11 center has averaged an impressive 12.7 points (68 percent from the floor), 13.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.

Carter is also putting up huge numbers to the tune of 17.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. The player that Ayton replaced at No. 1 earlier this spring, Carter certainly made his case over Memorial Day weekend by posting 30 points and 16 rebounds in a matchup against Ayton and Ayton's five-star big man teammate, Brandon McCoy.