The Portland Trail Blazers took a shot at trying to help Deandre Ayton fulfill the potential that led to him being the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft when they acquired him from the Phoenix Suns in 2023. His season-and-a-half in Portland hasn’t led to any real growth, with Ayton not emerging as the star center many hoped he’d be.
The 7’0″ center has an imposing 250-pound frame with a high motor for rebounding. However, he’s allergic to contact in the paint on offense. Ayton is averaging 1.0 free throw attempts a game this season, among the lowest for any player averaging 30 minutes (or more) per game, let alone a center.
He’s averaging 13.8 points and 10.2 rebounds, averaging exactly one free throw attempt a game and 0.6 makes (60.6 FT%). His at-rim finishes are mostly uncontested or avoid contact with a variety of moves which force Ayton to move away from the rim for hooks or fadeaways which limit fouling contact.
For perspective, 40-year-old point guard Chris Paul (29.1 MPG) is shooting 1.5 free throws per game while perimeter-scoring center Brook Lopez (32.2 MPG) is averaging 1.4 free throws per game. Ayton is shooting the same number of attempts such as Brandin Podziemski (24.1 MPG) and Keegan Murray (35.5 MPG). Podz is a multi-positional guard while Murray is an outside-shooting forward.
Ayton has a tendency to shoot jump hooks and pull-ups from around the rim, which helps his 56.8 FG%. However, he rarely fights through contact for at-rim finishes, a trend that has followed him his entire career. The most free throws per game in his career came in the 2022-23 season where he shot 3.0 attempts per game.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to justify a player with Ayton’s post-skill-set and size not getting to the line at all. He isn’t even a shooting specialist, so it doesn’t explain why he’s allergic to contact in the paint.
He’s a finesse player but has the strength to be among the most physical centers in the NBA, something he chooses not to do.
The Blazers Have A Center Dilemma
The Trail Blazers are in an early stage of their rebuild, still fleshing out the core roster they’ll hope to return to contention with. They have a fifth consecutive lottery pick coming their way this season, which might top off the young core of the squad as they start looking at ways to return to winning.
Ayton is technically their best center, starting on a Finals team four seasons ago and still being just 26 years old. Unfortunately, Ayton doesn’t seem aggressive enough to be a solid long-term choice, explaining why the team drafted Donovan Clingan in the offseason.
Currently. the Blazers have four playable centers on their roster. This includes Ayton, Clingan, Robert Williams III, and Duop Reath. As a result, these players have all been floated around as trade targets around the league, primarily Williams and Reath.
Clingan is far too young for the Blazers or other franchises to put a trade value on him, while Ayton’s contract is too expensive for most contending teams who are looking for cheap players due to new cap realities.
Until Ayton is performing as averagely as he has over this season, there’s no way a team outside Portland will be invested in helping him realize his potential again.
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