LaMarcus Aldridge: Fundamentally Great
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by user NBA Draft Blog
The #1 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, ANDREW BOGUT, played well for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, but he doesn’t look like he will ever become a superstar. The #1 pick in 2004, EMEKA OKAFOR, is a good defensive player, but he has major limitations with his offense. The top pick in 2003, LEBRON JAMES, is already one of the best players in the game today.
The 2006 NBA Draft just doesn’t have a LeBron James available. Whoever is the top pick this year can only hope to be better than Bogut and Okafor. But which player will go first? ADAM MORRISON is a scoring machine and a defensive liability. ANDREA BARGNANI is an enigma, a skinny European forward that has not been seen against top American talent. That leaves LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE as the best choice to go first. He has good size at just a shade under seven-feet tall and an expanding 245 pounds. He is fundamnetally solid on both ends of the floor. The question about Aldridge is whether fundamentally sound is good enough. Shouldn’t the top pick have superstar potential? Morrison does, Bargnani might. Aldridge? Probably not. He is ready to play right now, however, and it is unlikely that he will become a bust, whereas the other two players are somewhat risky. ALDRIDGE can play power forward or center, and it is increasingly difficult to find a quality center in this, the age of the perimeter player. So, whom should the Toronto Raptors select with the #1 pick? It’s hard to pass on the player that is so fundamentally sound that he could become fundamentally great. Lets take a look at Aldridge:
STRENGTHS; Aldridge is a very good athlete. He has excellent coordination and employs almost perfect footwork, which is very important in the low post. His jump shot is reliable out to 20 feet and that should extend even further with more training. Near the basket he uses a beautiful hook shot that is difficult to block. On defense he has a strong understanding of where to be and how to help. Aldridge elevates quickly and uses his extremely long arms to block shots. Another value he brings is versatility. Aldridge is big enough to play center and skilled enough to play power forward. He is mature for his age and will accept whatever position he is asked to play. Aldridge learns quickly and seems to be a quality character that will work hard and behave professionally.
CONCERNS; He is still a little thin and will need more strength, especially if he is asked to play center. He does, however, have a wide frame and should be able to carry more weight in the future. Despite being much more talented than almost everyone he was matched against in college, he didn’t dominate like he could have. Aldridge had good but not spectacular stats last season at Texas: 15 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 2 BPG. He will be expected to match and/or improve those numbers in the NBA. He is still inexperienced, having played in just two NCAA seasons. If he would have played all four years we may be calling him the next TIM DUNCAN.
OVERALL: There is nothing to indicate that Aldridge will be anything less than solid at the next level. He has the right skills, the right size, and the right attitude to succeed. The only real question is whether he has the passion to be great. Being fundamentally sound won’t always get your highlights on ESPN and it won’t always get a sneaker named after you. It can, however, make you great, and it can win championships. Just ask Tim Duncan.
Date
Fri 06/02/06, 1:27 am EST
