On the utility of crypto in a 'traditional' portfolio: AAVE's quiet growth vs the ADA hype

Been watching the crypto space from the periphery for a while now, mostly as a curious bystander with a bit of a cynical smirk, I'll admit. But with $AAVE hovering around $97.71 today, and even hitting $99.02 at one point, it makes me wonder if we're all missing something by dismissing these DeFi protocols purely as speculative assets. It's not the flashing lights of some of the newer memecoins, but actual utility is starting to build a case.

Then you look at something like $ADA, trading at $0.1651, and while the Cardano community is vocal, the practical, widespread application feels... well, it feels perpetually just around the corner. Is it just me, or is the narrative around certain cryptos, particularly those with a very passionate following, often outstripping the on-chain reality? I'm trying to wrap my head around how one would even begin to integrate these into a diversified portfolio beyond pure speculative allocation. Am I just an old dog refusing new tricks, or is there a genuine case for skepticism, especially when measured against more conventional risk assets? Push back, folks, I'm genuinely curious to hear the counter-arguments.