When LaMarcus Aldridge decided the chance to win titles was more attractive than the individual glory of scoring points, he knew he would have to adjust. The lure of the five-time champion San Antonio Spurs was strong, but not only did they have the Big Three, who still sit at the head of the table, they also had a young star who was already an NBA Finals MVP.
Everyone from sage NBA writers to slobbering drunks yelling at TVs in sports bars (and there is some overlapping of those two groups) knew Aldridge would struggle to fit in. And he has, which means every prognosticator will get at least one prediction right this season.
On Monday night, Aldridge managed to score six points, taking only eight shots in 34 minutes. That is the fewest points he has had in a game in almost six years. And he attempted only one shot in the second half of the Spurs’ 93-80 victory over Portland, where Aldridge played for nine years.
It hasn’t been all struggle for Aldridge. In the prior game, he had 17 points and 19 rebounds, although it was against the junior varsity Sixers. But in the first 10 games, he has averaged 15.7 points, his lowest mark since he averaged 9.0 as a rookie.
The benefit of being a role player – at least for now – is that individual struggles are not destructive. So despite their $84 million man, who averaged more than 20 points a game the last five seasons, managing more than 20 in only two games this season, the Spurs are still 8-2 and looking better than any team except for otherworldly Golden State.
“We have a long way to go in getting everybody adjusted to the new balances of the team, especially offensively,” Manu Ginobili said. “Defensively, we’ve been pretty good. We have made mistakes here and there, and, of course, that’s going to happen. But we are a little better in that regard than I thought we were going to be. Offensively, we can be much better.”
At one time, Aldridge might have been the franchise player in waiting in San Antonio, although it is beginning to look like Tim Duncan might make history by becoming the first member of AARP to play in the NBA. Only 10 years to go.
It had to be evident to Aldridge before he signed, however, that Kawhi Leonard would fill that role – if and when the Big Three retires. Two years ago, Leonard won the NBA Finals MVP award when the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat.
Last season, Leonard became the first player not named Duncan, Ginobili or Tony Parker to lead the Spurs in scoring since the 1997-98 season. And he has been even stronger this season, leading San Antonio with a 21.6 average.
But the key to the Spurs’ start – besides a less than challenging schedule – has been Ginobili, who seems to have dipped into the same Fountain of Youth as Duncan.
Ginobili, who turned 38 in July, is only 14 months younger than Duncan, but the Argentine dynamo has been playing a reckless style of basketball since turning pro at age 15. In basketball years, he is Duncan’s elder.
Ginobili produced a throwback performance in Monday night’s win over Portland, scoring 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, which thrilled teammates and fans.
“I think we all turned into fans on the bench watching him,” San Antonio reserve guard Patty Mills said. “’He definitely saved us tonight offensively, making shots and really doing what he’s done for so long. But to be able to do it this year goes to show his leadership and what he brings to this team. It was fun to watch him.”
As always, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has rationed Ginobili’s minutes. He is playing only 20.6 per game, Popovich did not play him in one contest, and Ginobili talked Pop out of resting him in another. (Has anyone ever done that before?) But Ginobili is averaging 11.7 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line while playing an important offensive role in crunch time.
After the way Ginobili ended last season, that type of production was not expected. Remember that he struggled so badly in the Spurs’ first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers that he was on the court only for one nine-second defensive possession in the final five minutes of the decisive seventh game.
Afterward, Ginobili said he would have to think long and hard about returning because he no longer could keep up with 20-something foes.
Eventually, he re-upped with the Spurs on a two-year deal with an option for the 2016-17 season, but in training camp he hinted at retirement when he said he planned to savor every moment this season.
So far he has. And while the Spurs are waiting for Aldridge to get acclimated, they are savoring the brilliance that has been Ginobili throughout his career.
Jan Hubbard has written about basketball since 1976 and worked in the NBA league office for eight years between media stints. Follow him on Twitter at @whyhub.