How Deandre Ayton and team accountability have led to the Trail Blazers’ current hot streak

Published 1:23 pm Friday, January 31, 2025

At 26 years old and his seventh season in the NBA, there’s no denying Deandre Ayton has crossed over into the “veteran” category.

Add in the fact that Ayton is the fifth oldest player on the Portland Trail Blazers and is one of two players to play in an NBA Finals, his experience is worth even more for a young and developing squad.

So when head coach Chauncey Billups approached his veterans about stepping up to hold the team more accountable, Ayton was a part of that group being challenged.

And now that challenge has been reflected in the Blazers’ recent play, which includes winning seven of their last eight games heading into a Feb. 3 matchup at home against Phoenix.

“Togetherness. Us being together, accountability,” Ayton said when asked what’s gone into building winning habits. “Youngest team, whatever. You’re in the league. (Billups) has given the vets, guys like me, to get on some of these dudes and they’re taking it to the chin, and they’re throwing it right back at us too. There’s no hypocrisy on this team, everybody is really locked in and loaded and has each other’s back, and we’re having fun with it too.”

Ayton played in four of those seven games, all of them wins, and averaged 20 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. For the month of January, Ayton averaged 13.4 points and 10.4 rebounds in 11 games played.

Portland overall went 8-8 in January, its first non-losing month since a 7-6 record in December of 2022.

Helping get the Blazers into a winning zone has largely been aided by the play and vocal leadership of Ayton and his willingness to step into a new role as a true veteran of the game.

“I just think I’m that type of player,” Ayton said of taking on the challenge. “I’m a dude who has a lot of energy and I want the best for people. If they are on the court with me, I know how to make you better. It’s a thing you have to accept if you want to be a student of the game, you know what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Ayton’s impact has been even stronger in 2024-2025 than it was in his first season as a Blazer.

Last season, the Blazers went 11-21 in games where Ayton had a double-double compared to a 3-20 record when he played and didn’t reach that mark. Portland went 7-20 in games without Ayton.

This season, Portland is 11-8 when Ayton records a double-double compared to a 3-13 record when he doesn’t. The eight losses with an Ayton double-double have been by an average of 11 points, or 7.5 if you remove the 36-point loss on opening night to Golden State.

The first of those three wins without an Ayton double-double came in a 26-point, nine-rebound effort Nov. 29 against Sacramento, those 26 points a season-high still for Ayton. The other two just happened Jan. 30 in a beatdown of Orlando where Ayton had 22 and eight and Feb. 1 in another beatdown of Phoenix where Ayton had 24 and seven and Billups said after that he thought Ayton controlled the game.

Portland is 6-8 this season when Ayton doesn’t play, showing that when the big man plays, the Blazers need him at his best to increase their odds of winning.

“When (Ayton) puts up a complete game, defensively and offensively, and he really plays with energy, we’re a different team,” Deni Avdija said following the Jan. 28 win over Milwaukee. “He’s so important for us and he’s awesome. When he plays good, I feel like the whole team is lifted off of him.”

Ayton posted 21 points and 14 rebounds in that win over Damian Lillard’s Bucks, along with guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo for plenty of stretches. And despite Antetokounmpo’s 39 points, Ayton played relatively well on the Greek Freak and even had a big block in the second half that fired up his Blazers squad to close out the game.

Billups said he agrees with Avdija’s observation of the team rallying around Ayton’s play and energy. And in year seven, Billups is seeing that lesson starting to click for Ayton.

“(Ayton) has been incredible, man, the proof is in the pudding,” Billups said. “When he has that type of energy and spirit, it’s really infectious. The gifts that he’s been blessed to have and the things that he works on all the time are able to shine. He makes everybody better when he’s that way, so Deni was 100% correct.”

So what does that veteran role really look like for Ayton?

For the 7-footer who spent the summer trying to will his Bahamas squad into the 2024 Summer Olympics, it’s about getting the young guys better. And that task hasn’t been too hard in his eyes as he described them as “sponges” soaking up the knowledge the coaching staff and vets are trying to splash on the court.

“My challenge for these dudes is helping them be consistent. When nobody is having their day, there’s different areas you can be successful and contribute to the game,” Ayton said. “Cheering your teammates on. If you can’t shoot today, go rebound. If you can’t rebound, play defense. There’s all types of areas you can be a complete player and that’s what they’re seeing. Sometimes I’m gonna have my days, but I’m still there making sure everyone is playing the right way.”

The sense of accountability isn’t something Billups wants reserved for the veterans either.

The point of the lesson is that the team needs to be connected enough where anyone has the power to speak up and to not be afraid of the repercussions. And on the flip side, the team has to be willing to hear it from anyone when mistakes happen.

“This team has multiple leaders, but when I’m out there, I try my best to lead our group on both sides of the floor, tell us to talk a little bit more, and like DA said, hold each other accountable,” Scoot Henderson said. “The coaches asked us all, are we willing to be held accountable? And we all said yes. I think we all just took a turn from that day on for us to do that and take initiative and being better in that area.”

Sure, the now 20-29 Blazers might be going against what the perceived mission is in tanking and trying to get a higher draft pick.

But after three brutal seasons that have seen wins few and far between, a stretch like this is also important in developing the young players so they don’t forget what winning feels like and what it takes to reach the next level.

“I know they’re learning so much about each other, I’ve always thought you learned so much more about guys when you lose, so we’ve learned a lot,” Billups said. “Now we’re starting to learn the other side of it. They’re having so much fun and it’s fun for me to see it too.”

With the NBA trade deadline approaching at noon Feb. 6, we’ll see how much of this Blazers team remains intact the rest of the season.

But with Ayton stepping into his new role and a sense of accountability, the Blazers are red hot and rolling. And most importantly, they hope these results continue to teach lessons in the new era of Blazer ball.

“The thing we’re trying to change up in this organization is the way we approach these games,” Ayton said. “You can see the results of where we’re at now.”