Deandre Ayton will enter the 2024-25 season as the undisputed starting center on a rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers roster over-endowed with big men. While the Blazers are likely the worst team in the Western Conference, his starting status is nothing to sneeze at.
But he has a problem.
Some pundits, inside and outside the Blazers sphere, consider the 7’0 Bahamian overpaid and inconsistent, serving as a stopgap until rookie Donovan Clingan matures. That’s a noticeable fall for a guy taken by the Phoenix Suns with the first overall pick in 2018, ahead of Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson and Jaren Jackson Jr.