Very happy to leave Phoenix, and full of ambitions for his new Portland franchise, Deandre Ayton finally produced a half-baked season. Rather satisfactory from a statistical point of view, averaging just under 17 points and 11 rebounds, his first campaign with the Blazers was, however, very disappointing collectively, with only 21 victories in 82 games!
In fact, the season of the Bahamian pivot, who perhaps returned a little tested from his first adventures in international basketball last summer, took place in two stages.
The first, rather slow at 12 points and 10 rebounds in the first 27 games of the season, slowed down by a knee problem which caused him to miss 11 games. And the second part of the season, with an average of 23 points and 12 rebounds post-All Star, much more in line with the expectations of the club, and of the player himself.
“I learned how to play with all these young guys and learned how to be a real veteran. I want to be honest and transparent with them, set an example in my approach to matches and with my professionalism”he explains in The Oregonian. “What I showed you in the second half of the season is what I have tried to show my whole career. This is really who I am. And I don't want to do anything less anymore. The stats you see are what I want to set as a standard. »
“I am a leader and a survivor”
Often criticized, rightly, for his inconsistency in effort, over a match as well as over longer periods depending on the circumstances, Deandre Ayton wanted to show another face once he had recovered all of his physical resources. from February.
“We could see that the relationship between him and the coach, and him and his teammates, improved day by day. At the end of the season, everything was pretty smooth and normal as he played through the big matches, and it seemed natural.”recalls Portland GM Joe Cronin. “He took the opportunity to fully express himself and I’m really proud of him. He is still a young interior in this League, with plenty of room for improvement, but he is very talented. Our challenge is to optimize his game, I can't wait to see what that will be like. »
Author of 32 “double-doubles” this season, good for the NBA Top 15 in the category, Deandre Ayton has however not yet shown that he can perform over the duration of a season in his career. In six seasons, he has only exceeded the threshold of 70 games in the regular season once.
However, it is of course on him, plus the trio of backs composed of Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons, that the immediate future of the Blazers will rest.
“My first season here was incredible, it was really a huge learning experience”he concludes. “I really got to see what a player I am. I overcame obstacles and it felt good to start fresh. It's a lot of excitement, adventures, obstacles, ups and downs. I learned about myself. I am a leader and a survivor. »
| Deandre Ayton | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | PHX | 71 | 31 | 58.5 | 0.0 | 74.6 | 3.1 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 16.3 |
| 2019-20 | PHX | 38 | 33 | 54.6 | 23.1 | 75.3 | 3.9 | 7.6 | 11.5 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 18.2 |
| 2020-21 | PHX | 69 | 31 | 62.6 | 20.0 | 76.9 | 3.3 | 7.2 | 10.5 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 14.5 |
| 2021-22 | PHX | 58 | 30 | 63.4 | 36.8 | 74.6 | 2.6 | 7.7 | 10.2 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 17.2 |
| 2022-23 | PHX | 67 | 30 | 58.9 | 29.2 | 76.0 | 2.6 | 7.4 | 10.0 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 18.0 |
| 2023-24 | POR | 55 | 32 | 57.0 | 10.0 | 82.3 | 3.2 | 7.9 | 11.1 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 16.7 |
| Total | 358 | 31 | 59.2 | 24.4 | 76.1 | 3.1 | 7.5 | 10.5 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 16.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
