Former NBA All-Star Weighs in on Issues Holding Back Blazers' Deandre Ayton

Matt Levine | Oct 28, 2024

Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton (2) warms up before a game against the Golden State Warriors at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports. /

One of the more intriguing players on the Portland Trail Blazers is center Deandre Ayton. He has been under the lime light since going first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns.

Ayton joined the Trail Blazers last season in a trade and there were a ton of high hopes for him. However, he hasn't lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he entered the league and it has potentially held his teams back.

But one former All-Star decided to weigh in on Ayton and realized that some of his issues could be due to his sleep. Former NBA star Roy Hibbert spoke with former Indiana Pacers assistant athletic trainer Shawn Windle to discuss the Trail Blazers big man.

Previously, Ayton had talked about his love for video games and how he had trouble sleeping at times due to them. Windle weighed in on this and how Ayton should limit his gaming before he goes to sleep to help himself out.

“I think video games are not bad,” said Windle. “Hand eye coordination, alertness, stimulating the brain.” Windle suggests hoopers should limit gaming time before bed, perhaps setting an alarm after an hour and beginning a consistent pre-bed routine because sleep is so critical to athletic performance.

If video game playing has been affecting the sleep of Ayton, it could cause problems on the court.

“If it’s a video game that gets your adrenaline up [such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto V, which Ayton mentioned he plays], even though it’s happening on the screen, it’s sending signals to your brain to stay alive, which means ‘stay awake.’ Alternatively, if you’re playing a game that’s still fun and engaging but it’s not activating those hormones [like SimCity or the non-combat parts of Farmville], it may be relatively easier to feel tired and fall asleep sooner.”

Ayton has played well through his career but has yet to make the All-Star team. He said prior to the start of this new season that he had a goal to make the team.

The now-veteran also said that he doesn't take losing lightly and is hopeful for this season.

"I'm not taking losing lightly at all. Our objective is winning the games and winning together and winning the right way. It's not all gonna look good, but I know for sure the team we have are gonna be turning some heads, and competing is a thing we're gonna be doing every night."

More Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson Impressing Teammates With Play This Season