During an uneventful trade deadline for the Trail Blazers, some of the first impressions are starting to drop on first-year Blazer Deandre Ayton — and it’s not looking good for him right now. Speaking to a team executive, Blazers insider Jason Quick revealed the brutal truth about Ayton’s tenure and compared him to a long-forgotten prospect from years ago.
“Although his play has spiked for the better in the past month, his first months in Portland were defined by tardiness and tantrums according to team sources,” wrote Quick. “And there has been an eerie resemblance to Hassan Whiteside, the former Blazers’ center whose statistics looked nice, but had little to no impact on a game.”
Deandre Ayton was supposed to be Portland’s consultation prize for finally trading Damian Lillard. As a former No. 1 overall pick and a guy who was a key piece to a Finals team just a few years ago, the Blazers thought they struck gold when they traded for him back in September. Instead, Ayton is having the worst statistical season of his career with averages of 13.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game on 55.7% shooting. Now, he’s getting compared to Hassan Whiteside, who flamed out epically after an All-Star-worthy season. While Ayton has been in and out with injuries this season, he’s barely been a factor when he’s on the court and has even found excuses not to show up at all (like during the infamous snowstorm that trapped him in his house). Through all of this, the Trail Blazers continue to be one of the worst teams in the league. In fact, Portland is arguably on track for one of their toughest stretches yet after making a series of mistakes that pushed out their franchise player.
The Trail Blazers Are A Disaster Since Trading Damian Lillard
The Trail Blazers were hailed as the winners of the Damian Lillard trade, but they’ve been trending in the wrong direction ever since parting ways with the franchise legend. Damian Lillard has plenty of problems of his own with the Bucks this season, but at least he’s in a situation where he can win the title. Meanwhile, for the Blazers, they are probably still years away from even competing for the playoffs and they have nobody to blame but themselves.
Arguably their biggest mistake was not trading their 2023 draft pick for a win-now player who might have convinced Lillard to stay. Instead, they drafted Scoot Henderson, who hasn’t looked impressive at all with averages of 12.8 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game on an abysmal 37.3% shooting. Meanwhile, Brandon Miller (the guy who was picked one spot earlier) is looking like a mini Paul George for the Charlotte Hornets this season.
Of course, despite ranking 14th in the West (behind a Grizzlies team without Ja Morant), the Trail Blazers once again let another season go by without any major trades and they are once again on the fast track to the lottery. This now marks the third straight season that Portland misses the playoffs and hope is low that they can turn the situation around anytime soon. Perhaps the most glaring symbol of their predicament is Deandre Ayton, who is proving to be a major letdown despite being a guy they hoped was a cornerstone of their future. Now, the Blazers have no stars, direction, or vision for the future on how to get better and take gradual steps up in the Western Conference.
“Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support”
