LaMarcus Aldridge: “I’m Definitely Going To Shoot More Threes”
The Portland Trail Blazers star forward LaMarcus Aldridge is one of the best at his position in the NBA. He’s continued to develop and mature his game over the years, which includes a highly polished mid range shooting touch that opens up a lethal pick-and-pop game.
Aldridge did a recent interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio, a Q&A that was transcribed by Casey Holdahl of the official Blazers blog Forward Center in which he claimed that the next step for his game is to step out behind the three-point line:
LaMarcus Aldridge: I’m definitely going to shoot more threes. Coach has been trying to get me to shoot them for the last two years. I think I’m the last player who didn’t want to shoot threes. I just wanted to wait until I was more comfortable with it. I definitely worked on it this summer and I feel more comfortable with it. Coach has already put me in plays where I’m in the corner more, I can down the three. I think that’s going to be one of the things I bring to the team this year.
To the extent that Aldridge has been a viable threat in the mid range shooting game, he could be considered a stretch-four to some degree, but stretching him past the three-point line makes it official. Aldridge, and clearly even Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, feels he’s capable to open up that option for himself on the floor.
At Aldridge’s size, contending his shot at the three-point line would be extremely difficult. You certainly don’t want him falling in love with the perimeter, but if Stotts can utilize this progression in his game, Portland benefits from having a more expansive floor game offensively.
