Despite missing some of their key players to start the season, the San Antonio Spurs have managed to keep their heads above water, and are currently in third place in the Western Conference with a 19-8 record. One of the main reasons for their early success is the strong play of LaMarcus Aldridge, who is leading them in scoring and rebounding, and having his best season with the team so far.
Now in his third year with the Spurs, Gregg Popovich admitted that he is to blame for not being able to bring out the best in the five-time All-Star before. He then added, via Shaun Powell of NBA.com, that he made the mistake of trying to change him too much, and did not allow him to play his natural game.
“We broke bread a few times, talked about it, laughed about it, discussed what we thought needed to happen, and frankly 95 percent of it fell on me because I made an error in trying to change him too much. That might sound odd, but he’d been in the league nine years and there’s one way he plays on the offensive end and feels comfortable with. I tried to turn him into Jack Sikma, told him I was going to teach you how to play on the elbow, go on the wing, face up. It was confusing for him. It really didn’t fit his style of play. I was guilty of over coaching in a sense.”
Now with a better understanding of his role with the team, Popovich has seen first hand the Aldridge of old, who has been producing stellar numbers of 22.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 33.4 minutes per game. His overall brilliance on the court has made opposing teams focus their defense on him, making it possible for other players to also step up and contribute to their cause.
The Spurs are now closing in on returning to full strength, and will even have Kawhi Leonard back on Tuesday. This is definitely bad news for the rest of the competition, as the team will be even more difficult to beat, and Aldridge will not have the carry majority of the offensive and defensive load anymore.
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