Devin Booker, Kevin Durant issue challenge for Deandre Ayton / News - Basketnews.com

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant commented on Deandre Ayton's performance against the Suns.

Credit: Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images Credit Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

Deandre Ayton scored 18 points with eight rebounds against his former team, the Phoenix Suns, who won 120-107 at the Footprint Center.

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The Portland Trail Blazers center delivered one of his most impressive performances facing his former teammates. Taking note of Ayton's remarkable efforts, Devin Booker not only praised his teammate for five seasons, but also issued a challenge.

While acknowledging Ayton's performance, Booker challenged him to consistently bring the same level of effort and efficiency to every game.

"He played extra hard tonight," Booker told reporters. "I've seen that. My challenge is for him to play like that every night."

Ayton was part of a three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks days before training camps started. The Suns chose to move Ayton for depth and netted center Jusuf Nurkic and forward Nassir Little from the Blazers, and guard Grayson Allen from the Bucks.

Ayton, 25, has been positive and patient with the process, despite averaging a career-low 12.2 points per game entering Tuesday and the team’s ongoing losing streak.

Kevin Durant, who played last season with Ayton after being traded to Phoenix from Brooklyn at the trade deadline, also acknowledged his former teammate’s aggressiveness on the court during Tuesday’s game.

"He played strong tonight," Durant told reporters. “He was ducking in. He was getting to his shot in the paint. He was offensive rebounding. They are going to rely on him to do a lot for their team.

"He's got a long, long time in this league if he wants to," Durant said. “So, being thrown into the fire like this and having to be a leader of this team is only going to make him better.”

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