Prolific scorers that do their vast majority of damage from LaMarcus Aldridge are few and far between in the modern NBA. And considering the league’s collective understanding of which shot attempts carry the most value has finally reached its zenith, there won’t be much more of them in the future, either. Aldridge, then, is a dying breed – or at least he was. In a recent interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio, the Portland Trail Blazers star said that he’s going to add three-pointers to his measured offensive repertoire this season.
The relevant portion of Aldridge’s Q&A was transcribed by Casey Holdahl of official Blazers blog Forward Center. Just as pertinent as the All-Star’s contention that he’ll be migrating beyond the arc this season is Aldridge’s insistence that coach Terry Stotts has longed for him to make that very adjustment:
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.
Interesting.
Frankly, we’ve never been as bullish on Aldridge as other league analysts. Even in a career campaign last season that saw him rightfully shed a “soft” reputation and become one of basketball’s most productive scorers, Aldridge was still inefficient – not only compared to other primary options, but also to the other seven years he’s been in the league.
Of the 20 players that averaged at least 20.0 points per game in 2013-2014, Aldridge’s 50.3 true shooting percentage – a number that takes into account field goals, three-pointers, and free throws – ranked last by 2.5 percent. A notorious a notorious chucker like Russell Westbrook (54.5 TS%) even easily outpaced Aldridge in that respect. And though the popular narrative ignored this fact, the Portland big man’s true shooting percentage of last season was the worst of his career.
It’s just difficult for a player so hellbent on mid-range jumpers as his source of offense to be that efficient, especially when he refuses to shoot three-pointers. Aldridge took just 15 shots from the beyond the arc last season, a pointless strategy given his extreme comfort launching turnaround 20-footers. And considering his coach supposedly was on board with him taking a couple steps back, defending Aldridge’s shot selection becomes even more difficult.
Suffice it to say, that he’s supposedly comfortable enough now to begin utilizing the long-ball in games is a major step in the right direction. Portland was already one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the NBA, and that was with a hub that refused to stretch the floor to his full capabilities. With Aldridge spotting up on the weak-side beyond the arc or popping behind the three-point line after setting a pick, Damian Lillard and company will have far more space to operate in the paint. And of course, there’s the major benefit of so many of those catch-and-shoot long twos becoming threes.
Make no mistake; Aldridge will indeed remain one of basketball’s most prolific shooters from mid-range, if not its preeminent one entirely. He won’t be posting up from 25-feet and taking fadeaway treys, basically. It’s Aldridge’s role as safety valve that becomes so much more valuable now, and stands to not only improve his game, but his team’s, too.
What do you think?
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