LaMarcus Aldridge has been balling out this season – and the Brooklyn Nets have sorely needed it.
They're in first place through 18 games, thanks in large part to his white-hot shooting. Aldridge is in many ways the most pleasant surprise of the Nets season. Recall, he retired abruptly last year after joining the Nets via buyout market due to an irregular heartbeat. But he was cleared medically in the offseason and decided he wanted to play again. And the Nets sure have been the beneficiary so far.
Here are three reasons his being promoted to the starting unit (assuming this plan sticks) is good for the Nets.
3 reasons LaMarcus Aldridge must start for Nets
Sweet midrange shooting
Blake Griffin has started off the season shooting poorly from the field. The Oklahoma product is shooting 32 percent from the floor and just 16 percent from three. He's almost as cold as LaMarcus Aldridge is hot.
So far this year, Aldridge has knocked down 52 0f 90 jumpers between 8 and 24 feet. He's been the master of the midrange and even hit 9 of his 23 three point attempts, good for 39 percent. He's 46th all time in points scored, and one of only 48 players who have ever cracked the 20,000 mark.
He's the Nets third leading scorer averaging 13.4 points per game.
When you think of a “stretch big” you probably think of a front court player who can knock down 3s and protect the rim; perhaps Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner comes to mind.
Aldridge doesn't take many triples, but he does technically “space the floor” by forcing his defender to make some very tough choices. He offers James Harden an outlet. The Beard and Aldridge can keep a defense on their toes with some slick pick-and-pops, or LA can spot up while Harden attacks the paint and provide an outlet on a kick out.
Just ask his teammate DeAndre' Bembry.
“Once [Aldridge] sees one go in,” gushed Bembry after a recent win, “he thinks every one is gonna drop. The last few games he’s been showing that he still looks like the LA that we know. He’s super talented, he’s super confident, I mean, I dunno if I’ve seen someone shoot he ball as well as he’s doing,” said the former Atlanta Hawk.
Aldridge has scored 20 or more points five times this year while averaging only 21.4 minutes. If this starting job lasts and comes with some extra playing time, it might provide an even bigger boost to the offense.
Nets floor spacing and gravity
The other element here is that once Aldridge has knocked down a couple jumpers, the defense begins to feel uncomfortable letting him just catch and shoot. But contesting those midrange shots it lures opposing rim protectors outside of the paint. And then it's time for James Harden and Kevin Durant to feast.
The truth is that Harden and Durant are so ruthless when the floor is spread that teams are better off falling on the sword of an Aldridge jump shot than leaving that duo open. Even though teams know LA is going to drill a high percentage of midrange shots, it's a no-win situation and you have to focus on swarming KD and Harden. Teams have been getting a little too comfortable sagging off of Griffin lately, knowing that he has struggled.
This change could give BG a chance to rediscover his touch.
Slightly better rim protection
With Nic Claxton out of the lineup since October 25th with a non-COVID illness, and Paul Millsap missing some time for personal reasons, the Nets have come to rely on Blake Griffin as their rim protector. He's not really suited towards that role though. Griffin is allowing finishers to shoot 61 percent against him from inside six feet. He hasn't been terrible and their team relies on helping each other and switching a fair amount. But still, opponent's are shooting 42 of 69 when Griffin is in the vicinity.
Contrast that with LaMarcus who holds shooters to a team best (when filtered for Nets who have contested at least six shots at the time) 50 percent. Players have shot just 33 of 66 against LA from six feet and in. He's 6'11”, a full two inches taller than Griffin's listed 6'9” and that may be an advantage there.
There are some drawbacks to the type of “drop coverage” Aldridge plays. When teams run pick and roll against the Nets and involve a big, Aldridge sags back into the paint to take away layups and lobs. But that can spring elite pull up threats for triples. This is partly why Aldridge only played nine minutes when the Nets hosted the Warriors. But the scheme is one that the Milwaukee Bucks utilize a lot when former Net Brook Lopez is healthy and it works in most situations.
For now, we'll keep an eye on how Aldridge looks with the starters. But he's certainly earned the chance to start and this is the best time of the season to experiment.
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