Lamarcus Aldridge, the foundation of the Spurs’ season

By Ansley Warnell

It seems LaMarcus Aldridge has been the foundation of the Spurs’ success this season. The star forward finished the season in the top ten leading scorers in the NBA falling at №9, averaging 23.3 points per game.

Several Spurs’ players dealt with injuries throughout the season including Tony Parker, Danny Green, Paul Gasol and, of course, star forward Kawhi Leonard. Unsure of a set return date for Leonard, Aldridge was able to step up and be a key player this season, greatly excelling in post-up situations.

Earlier this season, Aldridge requested a trade. According to CBS Sports, in response, head coach Gregg Popovich admitted he had overcoached Aldridge, attempting to mold his offensive play, disregarding his own personal style. After a three-year, $72-million extension in September, Aldridge has had a remarkable season with the Spurs.

On top of leading the team with an average of 23.3 points per game, Aldridge can add his average of 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game while shooting .511 from the floor to his resume. Aldridge finished the regular season as the third leading scorer amongst all power forwards in the league. Compared to last year, it looks like Aldridge is settling in with the Spurs and bouncing back to his old style of play with Portland. Last year, Aldridge averaged 17.3 points per game along with 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists while shooting .477 from the field.

Taking it back to his time with the Trailblazers, Aldridge finished up his last season with the team averaging 23.4 points per game. He also averaged a respectable 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists a night.

Aldridge will get the opportunity to continue to add to his notable season stats this weekend. The team will play Golden State in game one of the best-of-seven series on Saturday at noon at Oracle Arena. The Spurs finished regular season play 47–35, falling to seventh in the Western Conference.