It’s been a bizarre NBA year. Not just in the sense that limited fans have been in attendance or that the Raptors can’t play in Canada. It’s been odd because many players have been benched by their teams and told to stay away as management sought a trade. As of Sunday, several of those benched players have new homes.
Aldridge Joins the Nets
When the San Antonio Spurs bought out LaMarcus Aldridge, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat were expected to be atop the short list of teams willing to commit to the veteran. But all of a sudden, word got out on Saturday night that he was picking the Nets. They acquired James Harden in January and signed Blake Griffin a few weeks ago. On paper, they’re the most star-powered team in the league.
Aldridge has been having a down year, including posting his lowest-scoring average (13.7 points per game) since his rookie year and his lowest rebounding total ever (4.5 rebounds per game). His production has tailed off, but it doesn’t mean he’s washed up. Unlike Griffin, he was shooting the ball decently, making 46% of his shots and 36% of his threes. He can get hot at times to take pressure off of other shooters.
Like Griffin, Aldridge is two years removed from an All-Star appearance, though neither has played as well since.
Drummond Off to the Lakers
Andre Drummond made 25 starts for the Cleveland Cavs this year. In those games, he averaged nearly 18 points and 14 rebounds. He was picking up 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while averaging almost three assists. Drummond also has the only 30-point, 20-rebound game in the NBA this season and had several 20-20 performances.
While there have been several quality hights, there have also been ugly lows. Shooting 47% from the floor is horrible if most of your shots are within five feet of the basket. Drummond is making just 59.7% of his free throws, though it’s still better than when he was under 50% for the first five seasons of his career. Beyond that, he averages more than three turnovers a game, trying to do too much.
One thing about Drummond is that a lot of his rebounds come off his own sloppy misses. But here’s the thing. He is going to provide a lot of value for the Lakers. They needed a player who could put points on the board around the hoop. They now have that. As LeBron James and Anthony Davis get healthy and return, he’ll be there to clean up their rare misses.
For all the flack he catches, Drummond is a double-double machine. He may gamble for steals a bit too often, but he will prevent the opposition from dominating second-chance opportunities. Joining a Lakers team with a lot of holes, he fills a few of the voids.
And until Davis is back, he will serve as the perfect stopgap for Montrezl Harrell. The Lakers have a center presence for all 48 minutes, something they have lacked this season, and even last year when they won the title.
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