Gustavo has a great character, he doesn't let anything or anyone stop him; that's what has made him successful; he is very determined, a winner, and always fighting to take his team to the top; he has a great fighting spirit and knows how to work as a team.
These words are from Javier Ceniceros, the first coach who believed in a boy from Zapotán, in the state of Nayarit, who at 18 years old measured 2.03 meters and weighed 93 kilograms (now 2.08 meters and 110 kilograms) and who showed from the beginning an absolutely natural instinct to play basketball. Today he is a champion with Real Madrid and the Mexican press celebrates it with headlines like this illustrative play on words: "Temporayón".
For Ayón, whose entry into the dynamics of his new team was rather slow, the season has been a triumph. He came from a frustrating NBA journey (2011-2014) in which he did not find his place, with injuries always as an enemy, in a journey through four teams: New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, and Atlanta Hawks. At 30 years old, he decided to return to Europe in a leap over the Atlantic that has ended up being fundamental in the development of the season. Barcelona gave up some rights over the center for which they once paid Fuenlabrada, and Ayón signed with Real Madrid. Barcelona, with whom he was about to sign in the summer of 2013 before Atlanta Hawks claimed his NBA rights after leaving Milwaukee, restructured their interior game a year ago without waiting for Ayón. Now, a whole season later, many will think it was a mistake.
Because Ayón has proven to be one of those pieces that Real Madrid needed to aspire to achieve, as they have done, the perfect season. The Mexican has brought strength and toughness in the paint from the beginning and weight in the attack when it has been truly necessary, an achievement in a team always focused on the contribution of perimeter players (Sergio Rodríguez, Llull, Carroll, Rudy...). He has played as a power forward and as a center, and has blended well in lineups with both Felipe Reyes and Nocioni or Slaughter. Alongside the Argentine, he has made fans forget about Mirotic in an interior game that has stepped up when it was most needed. And the best proof is the semifinals of the Final Four, in which Ayón demolished Fenerbahçe with a 30 performance rating: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Ultimately, his averages in Europe were 8.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 11.7 performance rating. In the ACB, he averaged 7.6 points, 5 rebounds, and a 9.9 performance rating. Beyond the numbers, Ayón has become a player without whom this triumphant version of Real Madrid, which is already in the history books, cannot be understood.