The Portland Trail Blazers are set to enter the 2024-25 season as the league’s struggling team. Despite their abundance of young talent, they pale in comparison to other NBA teams that boast a balanced mix of youth and veteran experience. Expectations for the Blazers are low, but that sentiment doesn’t apply to Deandre Ayton, the former first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.
Ayton enters his second season with Portland after an injury-shortened 2023-24 campaign in which he played just 55 games. This season, Ayton is determined to prove he belongs among the league’s elite big men, and he certainly has the potential to do so.
Recently, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype Ayton ranked Ayton in the middle of the pack in his top 30 centers for the upcoming season, which clearly indicates that there is room for Ayton to improve.
“Former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton had a pretty disappointing NBA career, all things considered.
On the one hand, he played a role in his former team, the Phoenix Suns, reaching the NBA Finals in 2020-21. On the other hand, that didn’t stop the Suns from trading him a few years later to the Portland Trail Blazers, virtually giving up their former first overall draft pick.
Physically and technically, Ayton has a ton of potential, as he is quite athletic and has great size for a center, with the quickness to thrive in the modern NBA, as well as a solid shooting touch from short to mid-range.
But his game sense isn’t that great (every time he touches the ball, he’s either looking to score or kick it to reset the offense, rarely making high-level passes that lead to assists), for his solid mid-range shot, he doesn’t shoot three-pointers, and he doesn’t defend as well as he should given his size and jumping ability.
Maybe 2024-25 will be the year Ayton can put it all together more consistently, since he has All-Star potential, is only 26, and will still be on a Portland team with almost no expectations. But we’ve gotten to the point where we’re going to have to see it to believe it when it comes to Ayton starting to reach that higher ceiling.
Last season, Ayton put up solid numbers, averaging 16.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 57 percent from the field. He has the size and skill to be a dominant force in the paint, but his defense and consistency have often been questioned. To truly elevate his game and the Blazers’ success, Ayton will need to bring more intensity to both ends of the floor.
If Ayton can consistently play with the energy and focus expected of a top center, he could help the Blazers have a surprisingly competitive season. While the overall outlook for the team may be bleak, Ayton’s individual performance could be a bright spot and point the way to a brighter future in Portland.
This season is a crucial opportunity for Ayton to solidify his place among the NBA’s best big men and prove he can be a cornerstone for the Blazers moving forward.
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