Blazers' Deandre Ayton Seems to Take Shot at Suns

Matt Levine | Nov 4, 2024

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton spent the first few seasons of his career playing for the Phoenix Suns. He was drafted No. 1 overall by Phoenix in the 2018 NBA Draft and helped them turn their franchise around into the powerhouse that it is today.

However, his fit alongside some of the players never worked too well so the Suns made the decision to move him. Now with Portland, Ayton is playing more freely and seems to generally enjoy being part of the Trail Blazers organization.

The two teams played each other this weekend and it had Ayton reflecting on his time with Phoenix. Before the game tipped off, Ayton answered some questions about the Suns and his time with them.

He had mostly nice things to say but did seem to take a slight shot at the Suns. He mentioned how the Trail Blazers trust him which can be taken that he didn't feel that way while in Phoenix.

“I’m loving it,” Ayton said. “You know me, I always wanted to be able to shoot the 3 and try to space the floor. The team trusts me and Coach trusts me to shoot the 3-ball, let it fly. I’m right where I need to be.”

Ayton has been given the green light to shooting more 3-point attempts this year with Portland and head coach Chauncey Billups has been encouraging him to do so.

“I’m trying to expand his range a little bit,” Billups said. “He’s shooting 3s this year. Shooting it pretty decent, but more importantly, his activity defensively. I’m trying to get him to pressure the ball more. He’s such a gifted athlete but sometimes he can leave some meat on the bone out there.”

He is shooting 37.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line so far this year, a massive improvement from last season. Ayton shot 10.0 percent from 3-point land last year in 55 games with Portland.

Ayton even compared the young Trail Blazers to that of the Suns when he was on the roster.

“It’s like reseeing the Suns again on how we all started,” Ayton said.

Portland may have to wait a little to become the dominant team that they'd like to become. But they have a solid core in place and just need time to develop into something special.

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