Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton has been on a tear since the All-Star Break.
In his last six games, the 2018 No. 1 pick has averaged 24.3 points (on 64.2 percent shooting from the field) and 15.3 rebounds per game. His pre-All-Star Break numbers —13.8 points (on 56.0 percent shooting from the field) and 10.4 rebounds per game —pale in comparison.
Finally, the player who won both Pac-12 Rookie of the Year and Pac-12 Player of the Year as a one-and-done prospect at Arizona appears to be approaching the All-Star stratosphere.
Deandre Ayton Responds to ‘Haters’ Amid Hot Streak
If only it hasn’t taken him so long. Ayton may have been an All-Star already. Or, at least, an All-Star candidate. He may never have been traded by the Phoenix Suns either.
After all, the Suns liked Ayton enough to match the four-year, $133 million contract he signed with the Indiana Pacers as a restricted free agent in 2022. A year later, Phoenix traded Ayton to Portland as part of the multi-team deal that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Suns didn’t have to do that. They just wanted to. Still displaying the inconsistent effort that repeatedly showed up as a red flag on his pre-draft scouting reports, Ayton had run himself out of Arizona.
It must be noted that in his time with the Suns, Ayton was an upper-echelon rebounder and underrated defender.
Nonetheless, it always seemed like Ayton was just a bit limited as a player, particularly offensively. To that point, when the Suns traded him, they did so with team fit in mind. There was no malfeasance on the Suns’ part. Especially as they sent Ayton to a franchise where he fit the timeline and had more opportunities to develop.
That said, the primary difference between him and Jusuf Nurkic —who replaced Ayton as their starting center —is that Nurkic has demonstrated greater ability as a passer and 3-point threat. Nurkic is also a seasoned veteran at 29 years old, whereas the now 25-year-old Ayton had yet to enter his prime.
‘Wearing the Cape All the Way’
In the six games that he’s played since the All-Star Break, Ayton has scored at least 20 points in five. Now comfortably shooting from the midrange, he’s scored at least 30 points in two of those contests.
In looking at his work on the glass, Ayton has been in double-figures in each of those games. He’s also pulled down at least 15 boards in four contests. Defensively, Ayton has at least one block in four of those six games. He has at least one steal in five of them.
Invigorated by both his doubters and his responsibilities to the team, Ayton says: “Coming into these games, I’m trying to do everything” (per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report).
“Not only do my requirements, my role for this team, but do a lot more,” he explains. “That’s where I’m at. I’m more dominant. People like to laugh at it, but it’s the truth.”
Expounding on his thoughts about his many detractors, Ayton says he “just be trying to bust that a**. I listen and I hear it and I love it.”
“I thank these haters for it,” he continues. “It’s making me approach this game the right way. Carry the PDX on my back all the way… I’m wearing the cape all the way.”
Never shy about touting his ability, Ayton can say just about anything he wants if he’s keeping this up. Not in the least because, right now, he looks exactly like the superhero he claims to be.
