Deandre Ayton
2025–26
72 games · 1,958 minutes
NBA player comparison
Deandre Ayton vs. Wendell Carter Jr.: 2025–26 season
Regular-season verdict
Wendell Carter Jr. leads in impact for 2025–26
Wendell Carter Jr. ranks ahead of Deandre Ayton in estimated impact while playing. This compares regular-season performance, not total contribution across the season.
Wendell Carter Jr.
2025–26
78 games · 2,288 minutes
Impact comparison
Impact estimate is measured in points per 100 possessions above league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Impact Rate rank is a league place, not a 0–100 score: No. 1 is best.
-0.2Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.5Leads
#308Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#174Leads
-1.10Estimated defensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions+1.36Leads
-0.06LeadsEstimated offensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions-0.17
1.0%Steal rate1.3%Leads
11.1%LeadsTurnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload11.8%
16.7%Offensive usage15.6%
67.6%LeadsTrue shooting %61.7%
4.5%Assist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court9.5%Leads
17.2%LeadsRebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court14.1%
72Games78
1,958Minutes2,288
Wendell Carter Jr.'s estimated impact per 100 possessions was +0.5, compared with -0.2 for Deandre Ayton. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 2025–26 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.
Deandre Ayton: 72 games and 1,958 minutes. Wendell Carter Jr.: 78 games and 2,288 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.
Deandre Ayton ended a larger share of his team’s possessions, so the turnover rates are not an equal-workload comparison. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Behind the estimate
Why the model rates them this way
The model starts with each player’s recorded individual stats, then adjusts that estimate using lineup results. The first two rows add up to the final estimate. All figures are points per 100 possessions.
Deandre AytonMetricWendell Carter Jr.
+0.19From recorded individual stats+0.29Leads
-0.41Adjustment from recent lineup results+0.19Leads
-0.22Final estimated impact+0.48Leads
Lineup evidence: Deandre Ayton — 3 seasons; Wendell Carter Jr. — 3 seasons. This adjustment is not necessarily based on the selected season alone.
Offensive and defensive lineup estimates for the selected season
These selected-season estimates account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive means better than average; a positive defensive figure means fewer points allowed. They are separate estimates—not additional points added to the calculation above. They do not measure how much individual teammates improved.
Deandre AytonMetricWendell Carter Jr.
-0.06LeadsAdjusted offensive impact-0.17
-1.10Adjusted defensive impact+1.36Leads
What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. A verified teammate-shooting comparison is unavailable for this selected season. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.
Full comparison · 2025–26 season
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | -0.2 | +0.5Better result for this metric. |
| Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best | #308 | #174Better result for this metric. |
| From recorded individual stats | +0.19 | +0.29Better result for this metric. |
| Adjustment from recent lineup results | -0.41 | +0.19Better result for this metric. |
Deandre Ayton: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. Wendell Carter Jr.: 3 seasons of lineup evidence. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Final estimated impact | -0.22 | +0.48Better result for this metric. |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 72 | 78 |
| Minutes | 1,958 | 2,288 |
| Offensive usage | 16.7% | 15.6% |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 67.6%Better result for this metric. | 61.7% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 67.1%Better result for this metric. | 51.2% |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | 31.9% |
| Free-throw percentage | 64.5% | 79.2%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point attempt rateShare of field-goal attempts taken from three; describes shot selection, not quality | 0.0% | 35.5% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court | 4.5% | 9.5%Better result for this metric. |
| Assists per game | 0.8 | 2.0Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Passing
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload | 11.1%Better result for this metric. | 11.8% |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court | 17.2%Better result for this metric. | 14.1% |
| Rebounds per game | 8.0Better result for this metric. | 7.4 |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rate | 1.0% | 1.3%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateShare of opponents’ two-point attempts blocked while on court | 3.3%Better result for this metric. | 1.9% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 12.5Better result for this metric. | 11.8 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Selected-season adjusted lineup estimates
These account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive defense means fewer points allowed. They are separate from the observed results and are not additional points added to the model calculation.
| Metric | Deandre Ayton | Wendell Carter Jr. |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted offensive impact | -0.06Better result for this metric. | -0.17 |
| Adjusted defensive impact | -1.10 | +1.36Better result for this metric. |
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
Wendell Carter Jr. leads in impact for 2025–26.
Deandre AytonMetricWendell Carter Jr.
-0.2Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+0.5Leads
#308Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#174Leads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
Deandre Ayton leads every available measure below.
Deandre AytonMetricWendell Carter Jr.
323LeadsListed-team regular-season wins285
50.7%LeadsListed-team winning percentage40.7%
3Leads50-win team seasons0
1Leads60-win team seasons0
4LeadsPlayoff team seasons3
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Deandre Ayton leads every available measure below.
Deandre AytonMetricWendell Carter Jr.
4LeadsPlayoff appearances3
55LeadsPlayoff games19
31LeadsTeam playoff wins7
1LeadsFinals appearances0
0Championships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
No recorded measure separates these careers.
Deandre AytonMetricWendell Carter Jr.
Not availableAll-StarNot available
Not availableMVPNot available
Not availableAll-NBANot available
Not availableAll-DefenseNot available
Not availableDPOYNot available
Not availableRookie of the YearNot available
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Selected seasons
Box impact
Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.
Deandre AytonWendell Carter Jr.
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average