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Deandre Ayton
Wizards · C · 28
Deandre Ayton
vs
2025-26
Wendell Carter Jr.
Magic · C-F · 27
Wendell Carter Jr.
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Deandre Ayton vs Wendell Carter Jr.

9-8categories
Ayton · Carter Jr.
Deandre Ayton
Ayton
Wizards
2025-26
Carter Jr.
Magic
Wendell Carter Jr.
72
Games
availability
78
27.2
Minutes
per game
29.3
12.5
Points
per game
11.8
8.0
Rebounds
per game
7.4
0.8
Assists
per game
2.0
1.6
Steals + blocks
per game
1.4
1.2
Turnovers
per game · lower is better
1.3
67.1%
Field goal %
51.2%
0.0%
Three-point %
0.0 vs 2.9 attempts
31.9%
64.5%
Free throw %
79.2%
67.6%
True shooting
TS%
61.7%
16.4%
Usage
USG%
15.6%
4.4%
Assist %
of teammates' baskets
9.5%
15.4%
Rebound %
of available
12.4%
+0.1
Net rating
on court
+2.2
11.7%
PIE
player impact estimate
9.6%
-0.1
Plus-minus
per game
+1.2
Bars show each player's share of the pair's total; the better number is in the club's color (turnovers: fewer is better).

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

Deandre Ayton scored more in 2025-26, 0.7 points a game apart (12.5 vs 11.8), on Ayton's heavier usage (16.4% vs 15.6%).

Ayton is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 67.6% to 61.7%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to Carter Jr. (2.0 vs 0.8 assists), the glass to Ayton (8.0 vs 7.4 rebounds).

With Carter Jr. on the floor his team outscored opponents by +2.2 per 100 possessions, against +0.1 for Ayton; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Ayton $8.1M through 2026-27, Carter Jr. $18.1M through 2028-29. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs
AytonCarter Jr.
46-26Record when playing43-35
13.1Points at home11.8
11.9Points on the road11.9
14.3Points in wins12.9
9.2Points in losses10.5
29Season high28
030-point games0
22Double-doubles12
Ayton · last 5
Mon, May 11 vs OKC6 pts · 3 reb · 1 ast
Sat, May 9 vs OKC10 pts · 6 reb · 0 ast
Thu, May 7 at OKC3 pts · 10 reb · 0 ast
Tue, May 5 at OKC10 pts · 12 reb · 2 ast
Fri, May 1 at HOU7 pts · 16 reb · 1 ast
Carter Jr. · last 5
Sun, May 3 at DET13 pts · 5 reb · 2 ast
Fri, May 1 vs DET9 pts · 0 reb · 2 ast
Wed, Apr 29 at DET9 pts · 4 reb · 4 ast
Mon, Apr 27 vs DET12 pts · 11 reb · 4 ast
Sat, Apr 25 vs DET14 pts · 17 reb · 3 ast
Ayton · contract
2026-27player option$8.1M
Carter Jr. · contract
2026-27$18.1M
2027-28$19.6M
2028-29$21.0M

More comparisons

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Per-game numbers and percentages are 2025-26 regular season from stats.nba.com; splits and last games from our own game logs; contract figures are cap hits from public salary data and can lag a signing by a day. Bold marks the better number in each row (turnovers: fewer is better).