LaMarcus Aldridge has had ups and downs with the San Antonio Spurs. Since signing there in free agency a different spotlight has been shown on him, a much different one compared to when he played in Portland. There was a time when Aldridge was on the outs in San Antonio, both for the front office and the fans. Things got so bad, Aldridge requested a trade last season.
“I knew some work had to be done“ Aldridge said in an interview with VICE Sports Michael Pina. “I wouldn’t say I doubted it (being where is now, playing much better), but I knew a lot of things had to be worked on and I took my responsibility and I went home and got healthy and worked hard and made sure I came back with the right mentality. Pop and the organization then did their thing to try and let me be myself. So I wouldn’t say I doubted it, but I knew a lot of things had to be done. I knew it was going to be tough.”
Aldridge has kept San Antonio afloat this season. With Kawhi Leonard mysteriously out with a thigh injury, a lot more has been asked of Aldridge. He is averaging 22.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, all while shooting 50 percent from the floor. With Leonard out, he has been the best player on the roster and is flourishing for the first time in a San Antonio uniform.
When Aldridge left Portland and singed that fan base, his early struggles with San Antonio were puzzling. It lead to a lot of people making assumptions about his mental toughness and ability.
“I’m probably one of the most misunderstood people in the league,” Aldridge continues to VICE Sports. “I have no bad intentions, but I carry myself in a very protective way. I like my little shell. I like my little circle of three or four people that I’m close to. I think that comes off as bad to people that don’t really know my personality. I don’t like new environments. I don’t like being around a lot of new people. It makes me uncomfortable.”
Some people felt that the days of LaMarcus Aldridge being one of the best players in the league was over. That his exodus to San Antonio would not pan out. That the Spurs had made their first critical error in what seems like a half-century, signing a player who just did not have it anymore.
“I feel like I’ve definitely shown people I haven’t lost it,” Aldridge says. “That’s what bothered me more last year. People were acting like I lost it and I’m like ‘No, I’m just trying to figure out this system and how to be myself. I haven’t lost who I was and how dominant I can be.’ And then once we found that compromise where I can play as myself again, I’m back to being that guy.”
With Leonard now expected to come back this season, the Spurs could be dangerous again. They can be lethal if LaMarcus Aldridge keeps playing the way he is playing right now.
