During his NBA draft year, DeAndre Ayton was one of the top prospects in the game. After getting the break with the Suns, Ayton’s stocks were expected to go upwards only. While his financial benefits increased multiple folds during his time in the league, his inexcusable explanations when the chips are down have made him a sore subject for viewers.
Now, after finding his footing with the Trail Blazers after months of struggles, the former Arizona center has put forth an interesting theory regarding his uninspiring first half of the season.
DeAndre Ayton’s latest excuse leaves NBA Twitter astonished
DeAndre Ayton found himself at the center of criticism after he revealed a peculiar reason behind his lacking performances on the court earlier this season.
“My body wasn’t just my body,” exclaimed the Portland Trail Blazers center while talking about his performance. Stating the difficulties he had to deal with in his residence, Ayton 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. I didn’t have a bed for quite some time. I was on an air mattress. Just trying to figure this out.”
Ayton’s excuse quickly went viral in the NBA social media circles leaving the community amazed. Here’s what the fans had to say on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter:
Players have often stated excuses for their poor performance and a fan feels Ayton’s was one of the worst and wrote, “That’s gotta be one of the worst excuses I ever heard”.
That’s gotta be one of the worst excuses I ever heard 😭
— Atef 🤌 (@AboutToRatioU) March 18, 2024
Someone gave an easy solution to the Blazers center by stating, “Why not…you know…… get a mattress”.
Why not…you know…… get a mattress
— ryanpropz (@ryanpropz) March 18, 2024
A fan pointing out Ayton’s contract commented, “Bro has a max contract and can’t afford a bed”.
Bro has a max contract and can’t afford a bed 💀
— Book’em “fan” (@dbookownsyou) March 18, 2024
While someone wrote that it is a common thing and nothing to make an issue about, “Welcome to average human life. We have beds and still sleep bad however we still gotta do whatever we have to do.”
Welcome to average human life. We have beds and still sleep bad however we still gotta do whatever we have to do.
— Jon G (@AfterBurn305) March 18, 2024
Another fan wrote “Just shows how his priorities are obviously cooked”.
Just shows how his priorities are obviously cooked
— I Know Ball (Happy Heat Fan) (@JoshSmithBurner) March 18, 2024
While Ayton struggled in the beginning, judging by his performance from last month it seems like he has finally found a bed appropriate for an NBA star.
DeAndre Ayton recovered from his early season slump
The Blazers acquired DeAndre Ayton from the Phoenix Suns last year so that they could infuse depth into the squad along with the skills that the Bahamian professional originally had, which made him the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Despite failing to give satisfactory results initially after his move because of residential troubles as the 25-year-old mentioned, Ayton has been performing exceptionally off late as was expected of him. The 25-year-old scored 33 points last week against the Atlanta Hawks which is his highest in the Portland franchise along with 30+ points against the Toronto Raptors and the NY Knicks.
In the last ten games, he has averaged 22.3 points and 13.3 rebounds showing a glimpse of his potential. Overall, he is averaging 15.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and one steal per game while shooting at 58.3% from the floor and 33.3% from behind the 3-point arc this season.
As for the Trail Blazers, the lowly Western Conference team can only hope to tank the loses for the remainder of the season to improve their draft prospect to put a formidable cast around DeAndre Ayton.
