The Portland Trail Blazers have a loaded frontcourt heading into the new NBA season, forcing head coach Chauncey Billups to make some tough decisions. Portland has center Deandre Ayton as the likely starter, but the team’s decision to sign rookie Donovan Clingan from UConn raises some questions.
The biggest issue will be how the team distributes each player’s playing time. In addition to Ayton and Clingan, the Trail Blazers are also counting on Robert Williams III to return from injury.
This is a good problem to have because the Trail Blazers seem more competitive this season. But how competitive will this team be and will they be able to have a player on the All-Star team?
Chris Dodson of ClutchPoints made a list of bold predictions for the upcoming Trail Blazers season. In that list, he predicted that Ayton would become an All-Star this year,
“Ayton’s presence in the paint, combined with his improved offensive skills, will make him a dominant force in the Western Conference. Rudy Gobert was burned for his inability to close out games in the Olympics and the NBA. Anthony Davis is going to have another tough year trying to keep LeBron James healthy. A series of injuries is helping Ayton slide into one of the final spots.”
For Ayton to become an All-Star, he would have to average around 20 points and 12 rebounds. Last season, he averaged 16.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
His career-best totals came in the 2019–20 season with the Phoenix Suns. He recorded 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for Phoenix.
With the abundance of talent in the Western Conference, Ayton’s chances of making the All-Star team are slim. But never say never.
Every season we see players elevate their game to the next level and it might be time for Ayton to show why he was selected first overall in 2018. He has the skills to dominate on the offensive side of the ball, but has yet to consistently show what he can do.
His interior game hasn’t flourished as much as his teams would have liked and he has refused to be an interior hitter. If he changes that mindset, the sky will be the limit for Ayton given his talent for scoring baskets.
Portland doesn’t need him to become an All-Star, but it wouldn’t hurt if he did, especially in terms of trade value. Ayton is unlikely to be part of the Trail Blazers’ long-term plans, so he’s auditioning for every NBA team this season based on his play.
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