ESPN’s Baxter Holmes wrote about how the NBA’s long grind, constant flipping of time zones and the physical toll of basketball has led to sleep deprivation becoming a major problem in the association. Several current Portland Trail Blazers talked to Holmes about the topic.
Offseason addition Hassan Whiteside talked about how getting sleep can make a huge difference, but that it’s very hard to come by.
Sleep matters, Whiteside says -- it matters a lot. It “could be the difference between you having a career game or playing terrible.” But therein lies the conundrum of NBA life.