Portland Trail Blazers center DeAndre Ayton has had a mixed first season with the team so far.

On the defensive end, he's been very solid – able to bang down low while switching on screens and guarding the perimeter adequately. He's also been a monster on the glass, averaging 11.5 rebounds a night – with more than three of them on the offensive end.

But Blazers fans may have been expecting a little more from Ayton offensively. His numbers aren't bad per se; he averages more than 12 points per game on 56 percent shooting from the floor and has shown a nice touch on his mid-range jump shot. But he's only seeing 10 field goal attempts per game in a season that many expected him to rank somewhere on third on the team behind Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons.

Relying on the guards

Part of Ayton's challenge with generating offense has to do with Simons and the other guards that are currently injured. Anfernee has played one game this season while Scoot Henderson and Malcolm Brogdon have also missed significant time. Centers typically rely on playmakers to feed them the ball in order to get their looks, something that has been in short supply for the Blazers.

When Ayton was asked how he's looking to generate offense while the Blazers are without their three best passers, Ayton was candid and didn't seem too upset by the lack of looks. Said Ayton, “Mainly crashing the glass. I got playmakers on my team. Sheadon is doing his best to try and get me the ball…you know just move without the ball and try and call for the ball when I feel I'm in a good spot to score.”

Not drawing contact

When Ayton does get the ball down low, whether via interior pass or an offensive rebound, Blazers fans have to be thrilled at the amount of dunking Ayton does – especially compared to Blazers centers in recent seasons. While Ayton's dunk rate is on pace to be the lowest it's been in his career, he's averaging more than one per night.

However physical Ayton seems on the glass or throwing it down with a two-hand slam, he hasn't done much to draw contact at this point. While never a huge threat to get to the line, Ayton's free throw attempts have plummeted so far this season. The Blazers center has attempted seven free throws in his 384 minutes so far this season.

When asked about this after Friday's game, Ayton smiled and said, almost tongue-in-cheek, “I know, and I got fouled all night.”

While it's something the Blazers would like to see improved, it's clear that Ayton is aware of the number.

Moving forward

Ultimately, Ayton is in a great spot with the Blazers. removed from the pressure of being the no. 1 overall pick in Phoenix, Ayton is free to be himself as a player. It can be a challenge to play with guys like Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker. While Ayton got a bit of a bad rap with a certain segment of Phoenix Suns fans, he was asked to sacrifice a lot on those teams.

With the Blazers, he's expected to rebound, play defense, set solid screens, and look for his own shot when he has a good look. The biggest issue is at this exact moment, the Blazers are missing players that can feed him the ball down low to help get him in a good spot. Look for that to change as players start returning from injury in the next couple of weeks.