Deandre Ayton career highs: Running through the best games of Ayton's career

Trail Blazers big man Deandre Ayton had an up-and-down first season in Portland. After a slow start, which he strangely blamed on the fact that he had to sleep on an air mattress, Ayton seemed to find his footing towards the end of the season. Despite a rocky transition, his numbers were similar to his prior seasons with Phoenix, finishing with respectable averages of 16.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game on 57/10/82 shooting splits.

While many focused on the rough patches of Ayton's first stint with the Blazers, there were also bright spots, including a few career-high games.

Points: 35 (x2)

Both of Ayton's 35-point career-high games were with the Phoenix Suns. The most recent game was on February 7, 2023, on the road against the Brooklyn Nets. In that game, Ayton shot 14-18 from the field and 7-8 from the charity stripe. He also added 15 rebounds in one of the best games of his entire career so far.

His other 35-point performance came on March 23, 2022, against the Minnesota Timberwolves, even without future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, who was out due to injury.

Rebounds: 23 vs. Toronto Raptors, October 30, 2023

One career high that Ayton set as a member of the Blazers was his 23 rebounds in Toronto. Seven came on the offensive end, while 15 of those 23 were in the second half. It was only his fourth game with Rip City, and it was also their first win of the season, which Ayton certainly played a significant part in. Before that performance, Ayton's career high in rebounds was 21, which he achieved on three occasions.

Assists: 8 vs. Utah Jazz, November 18, 2022

Ayton was still with the Suns at this point and surprisingly tied Jarred Vanderbilt for the third most assists that game behind only Devin Booker and Mike Conley, who each had ten. Booker also played a massive role in Ayton racking up those eight assists, scoring 49 points. It was an extremely well-balanced game for Ayton, who nearly had a triple-double, recording 17 points, ten rebounds, and eight assists to go along with three blocks.

Blocks: 5 (x2)

Blocks haven't necessarily been one of Ayton's strong suits despite the physical tools that made him a No. 1 overall pick. Throughout his career, he's averaged one block a game. But he showcased his rim-protecting potential on these two occasions early in his career with the Suns. The most recent game was on May 4, 2021, against the Cavaliers. Before that, Ayton also recorded five blocks against the Houston Rockets on January 20, 2021.

Steals: 5 vs. Detroit Pistons, November 11, 2023

Ayton led the game in steals in this matchup against the Pistons in what was otherwise a pretty typical game for him (16 points and 11 rebounds). Cade Cunningham had six turnovers, while Marvin Bagley III had five. Was it Ayton's quick hands or the Pistons' ineptitude? We'll be generous and give most of the credit to Ayton.

The two career highs that Ayton set in his first year with Rip City were rebounding and steals. Most of them were with the Suns, which makes sense, considering that Ayton has only spent one season in Portland compared to five in Phoenix. It also helped that he had CP3 generating high-quality looks for the big man for three of those years.

The Blazers hope to have their own playmaker to do the same for their big men with last year's No. 3 overall pick, Scoot Henderson. However, it remains to be seen if Ayton will still be with the Blazers by the time Scoot has become a reliable floor general, especially now that Donovan Clingan is in the mix.