When Deandre Ayton was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the deal that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee last summer, it was thought that the 2018 No. 1 overall pick would, or could, enjoy something of a rebirth after falling out of favor with the Suns.
Portland was young. Rebuilding. There would be no real pressure to win, and seemingly ample opportunity for Ayton to assume a more assertive role, with a more assertive mindset than he consistently displayed in Phoenix. It didn't go that way.
As has been the overarching theme of his career, Ayton faded into the background of games too often and way too easily. Settling for a lazy, almost afterthought offense with an embarrassingly low rim rate for a non-spacing center and pathetic rim protection numbers, Ayton was averaging a career-low 12.5 PPG in late January.
What was the problem? You'll want to hear this, as Ayton has provided one of the most bizarre excuses you'll ever hear from an athlete trying to rationalize poor play.
From The Oregonian:
Earlier in the season, Ayton played far less aggressively. At the time, Ayton said on Thursday, he was feeling his way through the offense and playing with new players. But there was more to his struggles.
"My body wasn't just my body," he said. "People forget the humane difference of me adjusting to everything."
That included something as routine as getting proper sleep.
"Just being comfortable in waking up," he said. "I didn't have a bed for quite some time. I was on an air mattress. Just trying to figure this out."
This is an absolutely wild claim from a guy who, in this very same article, said he "has all the money in the world." In late January, Ayton infamously told Basketball Intelligence's Mark Medina that he has "nothing to prove in this league" because he's "a max player, and I'll continue to be a max player."
Forget the implication that Ayton is fine with subpar performance(s) because he got his money. Let's just stick to the literal money. The dude signed a $133 million contract less than two years ago, and he can't figure out a way to get himself a proper bed?
This guy is honestly talking like he had no choice. Like sleeping on an air mattress is just part of the deal when a multi-millionaire moves to a new city. Ayton is literally saying it was affecting his play, and yet he didn't act immediately to make sure he could get some proper sleep in an effort to, you know, play better?
This is comical and also pretty understandable coming from a guy who also didn't show up to the game in which he was scheduled to return from an 11-game absence because the roads were too icy. It's true, the Portland weather was a disaster at the time of this development. But still, something tells me that Kobe Bryant would've found a way to the arena. He would've slept there the night before if he had to. And he would've found a way to do so on an actual bed.
Icy roads. A seven-foot, multi-millionaire human being actively destroying his sleep because he's crashing on an air mattress. Come on, man. Ayton is trying to paint a picture that we all forget that athletes are real people with real problems, but all he's doing is furthering the perception that he just doesn't care. If a guy with Ayton's money can't get a bed in his place the first night he sleeps there, the world is truly doomed.
Now, to be fair, Ayton has been on a rampage of late. He's averaging 29 points and almost 17 rebounds over four games in March. He averaged 17 and 11 in February. He has definitely played better and more assertively. I just have my doubts that it has anything to do with a better bed. Or, if it does, Ayton only has himself to blame for not taking responsibility for his sleeping situation sooner.
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