The Washington Wizards brought on Patrick Ewing as an assistant coach this summer, and Greg Finberg caught the Hall of Famer working with Deandre Ayton on his post moves. Ewing was a dominant post-up player and an all-time great. Ayton can score, but has struggled mightily on post-ups. Learning a couple of moves from the legend could fix this flaw and make DA the NBA's best backup big man.
Ayton is coming off the bench for the first time since 2020. The Lakers avoided playing him in that role, but Washington has Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr ahead of him. DA is saying all the right things, but questions remain about his role buy-in.
Ayton could be a dominant backup big man. He is a strong scorer and rebounder. Playing him against second units should create more favorable matchups. If Ewing can fix his post-up issues, Ayton could be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year and give the Wizards a massive boost off the bench.
Deandre Ayton has struggled on post-ups
Last season, the Lakers wanted their three stars running the offense, but Ayton still found 1.1 post-ups per game. He scored just 0.96 points per possession on those plays, which ranked in the 42nd percentile. Things were even worse in 2025. He posted up 1.4 times per game and scored just 0.73 points per possession. That was in the 11th percentile.
Ayton has a strong floater and mid-range game, but he is not a dominant post player. He is not putting his back to the basket and bullying his matchup under the rim. The seven-footer relies on finesse, so it was fantastic to see him working on a spin into a one-legged fadeaway. It is just the type of move that Ayton could use to get easy buckets in the Wizards’ young second unit.
Deandre Ayton needs to embrace his role with the Wizards
Ayton should come off the bench. He will get more shots and be a larger focal point in the second unit. The Wizards will be trying to get attempts to AD, Trae Young, and AJ Dybantsa in the starting five. Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George will want looks as well. Ayton can be the number one scoring option among the reserves and could stagger with Ice Trae to be fed some easy buckets.
Washington isn’t posting up Ayton in the starting five. They would want Davis or Sarr to be the roll man for Young. The focus for Ayton would be defense and dirty work. Suns, Trail Blazers, and Lakers fans can tell Wizards supporters that isn’t DA’s strong suit.
The former number one overall draft pick is accustomed to starting. He has only come off the bench for seven of his 470 NBA games played. Ayton entered the NBA expecting to become a star, but things have changed. He must embrace being a role player and helping Washington snap their five-year playoff drought.
Patrick Ewing could make a significant impact for the Wizards
Having a Hall of Famer to work with the big men should pay dividends. Alex Sarr posted up 1.4 times per game last season and scored 1.13 points per possession. The 21-year-old was better than 76 percent of the NBA. That could be a key area of growth to help Sarr reach his immense potential.
The Wizards are eager to contend after drafting AJ Dybantsa number one overall. The new lottery reform penalizes teams in the bottom three, so Washington isn’t making a midseason pivot. They want to be in the playoffs. Letting their young talent learn from an all-time great should help their cause.
Anthony Davis and Trae Young will draw the defense and create easy looks for the Wizards. This has all the makings of a surprise team if they stay healthy. Deandre Ayton improving in the post and becoming an elite backup big man would help. All the 28-year-old has to do is embrace it.
The Washington Wizards have Patrick Ewing working with Ayton on his post game. Ewing was dominant down there, so fans should expect DA to be better than ever in the nation’s capital. Just another reason the Wizards will surprise this season.
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