Deandre Ayton Makes Bold Statement About Portland Trail Blazers

Deandre Ayton spoke to reporters at Portland Trail Blazers media day.

Sep 30, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2). Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Deandre Ayton is coming off his first year playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.

After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Phoenix Suns, he was traded to Portland during the middle of the 2023 offseason.

That said, the Trail Blazers finished last year as the 15th seed in the Western Conference with a 21-61 record.

On Monday, Ayton met with reporters at media day and made a bold statement.

Ayton: "I'm not taking losing lightly at all. Our objective is winning the games and winning together and winning the right way. It's not all gonna look good, but I know for sure the team we have are gonna be turning some heads, and competing is a thing we're gonna be doing every night."

Ayton finished last season with averages of 16.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 57.0% from the field in 55 games.

At just 26, he is still only entering the prime of his career, so it's possible that Ayton could continue to get better over the next few seasons.

Apr 12, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) puts up a shot during the first half against Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Ayton was the first pick in the 2018 NBA Draft (out of Arizona).

He was selected ahead of Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Jaren Jackson Jr.

His career averages are 16.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 59.2% from the field in 358 games.

YEAR 7 🎰 pic.twitter.com/T6iWSXHUb6

— Deandre Ayton (@DeandreAyton) October 3, 2024

The Trail Blazers will play their first game of the season when they host the Golden State Warriors on October 23.