Here's How Much Injured LaMarcus Aldridge Means to the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers forced their way into the championship conversation by unlocking an elite-level defense to complement their already explosive offense.
Their new challenge is maintaining that two-way balance without their key offensive cog: three-time All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
Portland's monarch of the mid-range left Monday's win over the Sacramento Kings with a left thumb injury that has cast a cloud of uncertainty over his—and his team's—near future. The team announced that he will not play in Wednesday's game with the Phoenix Suns, has an MRI scheduled "for later this week" and currently lacks a timetable for his return:
As teams are wont to do in these situations, the Blazers have done their best to keep their brave faces on in front of the microphones. Point guard Damian Lillard noted this is not the first time has had to deal with the loss of its 23-point, 10-rebound machine.
"Last year we were in a similar situation where he sat some games," Lillard said, per Mike Richman of The Oregonian. "We had to play a different style. Earlier this season he sat a few games and we had to switch it up a little bit. We know how we will need to play without him."
Credit the high-scoring guard for making this sound far easier than it actually is. But one scan through the stat sheet shows there is no way of replacing the sweet-shooting big man.
Aldridge is one of the NBA's premier producers. He ranks among the league leaders in field goals (351, second), rebounds (387, eighth), points per game (23.2, fifth), player efficiency rating (22.4, 14th), defensive rating (99.8, 13th) and total win shares (4.8, 16th).
Impressive as those numbers are, they aren't really needed to appreciate his impact. The eye test alone does a good enough job measuring his value as it is.
"Aldridge is the linchpin to it all, the foundation behind the Blazers' success on both ends of the floor," wrote Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. "He's their most underrated defender, most reliable scorer, most dependable rebounder and team captain."
If you wanted the right word to capture Aldridge's significance to this team, "indispensable" wouldn't be a bad place to start.
At the offensive end, he is the primary reason this unit still stands in the league's upper half. Say all you want about Lillard's coolness in the clutch, Wesley Matthews' perimeter proficiency, Nicolas Batum's glue-guy game or Chris Kaman's low-post arsenal. None of it keeps this attack running the way Aldridge's versatile game does.
Aldridge has a gravitational pull with opposing defenses. His ability to command that type of attention sets everything in motion. Driving lanes get wider for Lillard. Shooting windows become cleaner for Portland's collection of three-point marksmen. The paint opens up for the crafty Kaman or (when he's healthy) a crashing Robin Lopez.
Teams, of course, can choose not to send extra help Aldridge's way. But look what happens when it doesn't come—he already has seven games of 30 plus-points and topped the 35-point mark five times last season (including consecutive 43-plus-point outbursts to kick off Portland's playoff run).
He continues to push himself farther from the basket. This season, his average field-goal attempt has come from a career-high 12.7 feet away from the cup. He leads all shooters in mid-range makes (4.6 per game) and attempts (11.5), meaning his man has to stay glued to his hip.
"He's got Kevin Garnett-ish in that pick-and-pop, in those turnarounds," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. "He's just gotten better. You used to be able to play him physical and it would affect him. That doesn't happen anymore."
Still, it isn't accurate to label Aldridge as a mid-range specialist. Doing so would ignore his back-to-the-basket game, his vision to pass out of double teams, his newfound three-point shot (he's 21 of 41 on the season) and his ability to create scoring plays off the dribble.
The Blazers have other scoring options, yet this offense completely collapses without him. Defenses can sell out on stopping Lillard, stay glued to Portland's snipers and not have to worry about being exploited underneath.
With Aldridge on the floor, the Blazers have fielded one of the NBA's most potent offenses. But when he hasn't been around, it has performed like a bottom feeder.
| Aldridge On | 108.0 (Fifth) | 100.8 (Eighth) | 7.2 (T-Third) |
| Aldridge Off | 99.4 (24th) | 96.2 (First) | 3.2 (11th) |
| Overall | 105.2 (T-10th) | 99.3 (Fourth) | 5.9 (Fifth) |
And don't lose sight of Aldridge's impact on the defensive end.
He ranks 30th in blocks per game (1.18) and ties for eighth in defensive rebounds (286). He has limited opponents to 49.1 percent shooting at the rim, a lower mark than the ones surrendered by Marc Gasol (49.6), Anthony Davis (50.0), Tyson Chandler (51.7) and Joakim Noah (51.9). Aldridge has also held opposing 4s to a 14.1 PER, via 82games.com, below the league average of 15.0.
Maybe "irreplaceable" would have been a better descriptor for Aldridge. The 6'11" forward does a little of everything for the Blazers. Few players in the league have a skill set as deep as his, and none reside in the Pacific Northwest.
Further complicating matters is the fact the Blazers already have a depleted frontcourt.
Lopez is still working his way back from a broken hand, and Richman recently reported the center will likely be sidelined until February. Backup big man Joel Freeland has been dealing with a strained right shoulder.
Portland's big-man rotation is down to Kaman, Dorell Wright, Meyers Leonard and Thomas Robinson. Kaman has been a consistent contributor, but the other three are walking question marks.
"In Aldridge's absence, finding any worthy complement for Chris Kaman is going to be the most strenuous of tasks," wrote Bleacher Report's Alec Nathan.
Leonard leads that trio at 14.5 minutes per game, and the 7'1" center has enjoyed shooting success all over the floor (.524/.444/.875). But this offense has averaged 7.4 points per 100 possessions more without him, so it's hard to consider him a safe replacement.
Wright is loosely labeled as a stretch 4, but he doesn't have great size (6'9", 205 lbs) or the most accurate shot (career 36.5 three-point percentage). Robinson, the fifth overall pick in 2012, has struggled to create a permanent niche.
The Blazers are in a bind without Aldridge.
Kaman can help replace some of the rim protecting and rebounding Portland lost when Lopez went down. But at 32 years old, Kaman can't shoulder the same minutes load or replicate Lopez's energy and athleticism. Slotting Aldridge at center was an option before he went down, but that card is off the table—and there aren't many good ones left to play.
Robinson can't space the floor, so he'll clog the paint if he's paired with another of Portland's healthy bigs. Wright's size limits the type of matchups he can handle. Leonard's track record lacks consistency, and he doesn't bring much to the defensive end.
Batum is versatile enough to handle spot duty at power forward, but the 26-year-old has been trapped in a season-long funk. He's shooting just 38.5 percent from the field and 25.8 percent from distance on the year. In January alone, his field-goal success rate has dipped to a grisly 33.8 percent.
In a vacuum, the Blazers might be able to survive the loss of either Lopez or Aldridge, provided it was temporary. But being without both at the same time? There goes 32.8 points, 17.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 blocks a night out the window. Where is Portland going to recoup that production?
If there's a silver lining to all this, it's that the Blazers aren't exactly facing murderers' row on their upcoming slate. After a one-game trip to Phoenix, Portland goes back home for visits from the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards. A road tilt with the Brooklyn Nets comes next, though that's followed by away games with the heating up Cleveland Cavaliers and red-hot Atlanta Hawks.
The Blazers have a 9.5-game cushion over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Northwest Division, so this certainly isn't time to panic. Portland can afford to weather a few body blows in the short term if that's what's needed to get Aldridge ready to go for the second season.
But it's going to get ugly as long as this team is forced to forge ahead without Aldridge, a player who means everything to this franchise's title hopes.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
