The Phoenix Suns hold the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft, and the consensus is that general manager Ryan McDonough and the team’s front office is going after either European phenom Luka Doncic or hulking Arizona Wildcats product Deandre Ayton. However, that does not mean that the Suns can’t pull off a surprise by taking Mo Bamba first overall.

In a recent appearance on The Sidelines podcast show, Bamba sounded off on why the Suns would be better off with him, per Kellan Olson of Arizonasports.com.

“I truly believe I’m a guy that can get up to speed the quickest and have the most immediate impact,” he said. “That franchise is honestly … I believe they’re a playoff contender with me in that lineup.”

Mo Bamba is expected to get taken off the board early in the draft, but not many believe he’ll go as high as being the first one to be called to the stage. In any case, Bamba is an extremely intriguing prospect with an NBA-ready body and an out-of-this-world length. Bamba stands 6-foot-11 and has a reported wingspan of 7-foot-10. He’s someone who could certainly help the Suns in the middle, especially with Tyson Chandler on the twilight of his career and Alex Len bound to become a free agent in the summer.

Bamba also adds that the Suns are set on offense with many gunners in the backcourt and on the wings, and insinuated that Phoenix is a big man like him away from being a playoff unit.

 “I’m not trying to be very boastful of my abilities and I’m not trying to be cocky or anything, but there’s only five guys in the league today that can protect the rim better than I can right now.

“I think that’s really what Phoenix needs most. They have guys like Devin, Josh, Elfrid and TJ and those guys are really great at scoring the ball but they need a guy like me who can change the geometry of the game.”

In one season in Austin, Bamba averaged 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks in 29 games played under Shaka Smart.