By starting his in-form man, Kel'el Ware, for the first time this season, alongside Bam Adebayo, Erik Spoelstra had counted on the centimeters against the Blazers. Which did not prevent the latter from coming to impose themselves on the Heat floor by relying on the broad shoulders of their own giant, Deandre Ayton.
“ For me, it's his best match of the year. He was physically imposing. He was dominant tonight. He jumped on the rebound, on the offensive rebound, he was a monster on defense. I'm very proud of him, really “, congratulates his coach Chauncey Billups.
His pivot actually showed a lot of desire to rebound, capturing 6 balls in the Heat camp after his teammates' misses. And he himself didn't miss much under the circle, or from 3-4 meters. As a result, he signed his 18th double-double of the year with 22 points (11/14 on shots) and 15 rebounds.
His worst NBA season
“ He moved everyone forward. When your inside, your pillar, plays this hard… His screens were incredible. He set great screens to free up our backs and allow them to penetrate or shoot. His way of communicating was incredible, he was so encouraging, positive, with everyone. It was great. It was joy to see this state of mind and this energy », greets his coach again.
The very positive performance of his pivot comes at the heart of an overall disappointing season on his part.
With an average of 13.5 points and 10 rebounds, the former Suns player has never been so unproductive since his debut in the Big League in 2018. Above all, in the middle of a workforce desperately looking for “leadership”, Deandre Ayton shows very few favorable signals in this area.
But for at least one evening, the connection worked well. “ I feel very good. We faced a great team and we had a great match together. Communication was phenomenal “, enthuses the person concerned after the match, without wanting to put himself forward. He adds: “ We have released what we call team spirit, we play for each other. The energy becomes something else when you know someone is playing for you and you want to do the same in return. It's contagious. »
| 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 | 14.4 |
| 2021-22 | PHX | 58 | 30 | 63.4 | 36.8 | 74.6 | 2.6 | 7.7 | 10.2 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 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 |
| 2024-25 | POR | 32 | 30 | 56.8 | 20.0 | 60.6 | 3.0 | 7.2 | 10.2 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 13.8 |
| Total | 390 | 31 | 59.0 | 23.3 | 75.6 | 3.1 | 7.4 | 10.5 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 16.4 | |
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.
