San Antonio Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge has never been much of a 3-point shooter. The seven-time All-Star had never taken more than 28 triples in a single season prior to the 2014-15 campaign, and the last Aldridge attempted was a mere 42 treys.

This season has been a vastly different story. Aldridge has converted 40-of-88 triples through just 35 games, numbers that prompt Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to suggest he is coaching Aldridge's “twin:”

Aldridge's previous career high for 3-point attempts per game was 1.5, but he is averaging 2.5 threes per game so far this 2019-20 campaign.

The 34-year-old is averaging fewer points (19.2) than he did last season (21.3) with the Spurs, and yet he is currently running the highest Effective Field Goal percentage (.548) of his career.

San Antonio has never been a franchise predicated on perimeter offense. Quite the opposite, actually. Popovich had the luxury of running his offense through Tim Duncan for over a decade, surrounding the legendary big man with slashers like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

However, the shortage of perimeter shooting has been very evident this season. The Spurs are dead-last in 3-point attempts, which slightly negates the fact that they also rank in the top three in terms of 3-point percentage.

Aldridge's ability to become more of a stretch-four is pivotal not only because it adds another element to the Spurs' offense, but also because it spaces the floor for the likes of DeMar DeRozan, whose game is based primarily on midrange scoring.

Unfortunately for San Antonio, LaMarcus Aldridge's development as a perimeter threat does absolutely nothing to solve one of the worst team defenses in the league.

The Spurs currently rank 24th in defensive rating, according to Basketball Reference, and it will be tough to climb back over the .500 mark should they fail to get stops.