Blazers’ Deandre Ayton Looks Like He’ll Take A Shot Against The Suns

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton spent the first few seasons of his career playing for the Phoenix Suns. He was selected by Phoenix with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and helped build the team into the powerhouse it is today.

However, his compatibility with certain players was never too good, so the Suns made the decision to move him. Ayton plays more freely now in Portland and seems to generally enjoy being a part of the Trail Blazers organization.

The two teams played each other this weekend, and Ayton reflected on his time in Phoenix. Before the game began, Ayton answered a few questions about the Suns and his time with them.

He mostly said good things, but seemed to hurt the Suns a bit. He mentioned that the Trail Blazers trust him, and it’s safe to assume he didn’t feel that way while in Phoenix.

“I like it” Ayton said. “You know me, I always wanted to be able to shoot the three and try to break the floor. The team trusts me and the coach trusts me to score the third goal and let it fly. I’m where I need to be.”

Ayton was given the green light to make more 3-point shots this year for Portland, and head coach Chauncey Billups encouraged him to do so.

“I’m trying to expand his range a little bit.” Billups said. “He’s shooting three-pointers this year. His shooting is pretty decent, but what’s more important is his defensive activity. I’m trying to get him to put more pressure on the ball. He’s such a gifted athlete, but sometimes he can leave a little meat on the bone.”

He’s making 37.5 percent of his shots from behind the 3-point line this year, which is a significant improvement from last season. Ayton made 10.0 percent of his 3-point attempts in 55 games with Portland last year.

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

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

Portland may have to wait a little longer to become the dominant team they want to be. But they have a strong core and they just need time to develop into something special.

More Trail Blazers: The Blazers clearly benefited from the Damian Lillard trade with the Bucks rising.