The Trail Blazers Loved Talking Trash to Deandre Ayton

Despite Ayton being waived and stretched from the Trail Blazers, he has a good relationship with the organization and his former teammates. He was seen having fun with his former teammates before and after the game, but during the game, the Blazers were talking some trash to him.

That is the nature of the NBA because they want to get a competitive edge. Knowing that Ayton has a good rapport with his former teammates also proves that they were all just having fun with each other during the game.

The Blazers Made Sure to Rub It In Ayton's Face

The Blazers were stellar in their performance against the Lakers, as they showcased why they are being called a rising team in the Western Conference. Portland's defense was superb, as Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan kept the strong defense the whole game.

Ayton was Clingan's matchup, which was interesting because the former was the Blazers' starting center while Clingan was his backup during the 2024-25 season. The student got one over the mentor in this game, as Clingan finished with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Clingan was not the talkative player on the Blazers because Ayton singled out Deni Avdija for talking trash to him during the game. Ayton laughed it off, but it shows that the Blazers made sure to use Ayton's presence as motivation.

" They definitely were talking crap to me the whole time. I had to embrace it and take it on the chin, a little bit. Deni Avdija, every shot he made, he just kept rubbing it in. I love that they played hard though," Ayton said after the game.

The Blazers Have a Promising Future Ahead of Them

The Lakers were shorthanded, but the Blazers did not even have one of their best performances. They were resolute on the defensive end, but the offensive side of the game was lackluster despite having five players scoring in double figures, and three of them scoring over 20 points.

Portland still has room to grow, especially with youngster Shaedon Sharpe. He has not been at his most efficient lately, so he must do his best to help his team compete with his potential as a go-to scorer.

With Portland being one of the best defensive teams in the league, they can match up against any other team. Sharpe will get his jump shot back while Scoot Henderson is on his way back to the lineup soon.

It will be an interesting team to follow, as they have the potential to surprise people. This comes after Tiago Splitter has taken over from Chauncey Billups, after the latter got himself involved in a major controversy.