LaMarcus Aldridge: 5 Areas the Portland Trail Blazers Forward Needs to Improve
The 2011-12 NBA season is one that will define LaMarcus Aldridge and his NBA career, barring a very possible lockout. The reason I say this is because while this past season was incredible for him, it has the potential to be something that no Blazers fan, player or anyone associated with the organization wants to see: a fluke.
Lots of players have career years where they seem to play far beyond their typical level, only to be followed by a dramatic regression to the mean in following seasons.
To be clear, LaMarcus Aldridge does not seem like that type of player. With his unique combination of length, agility and power, he has the potential to be a very special player for a long time in the league. He showcased this during the past season by dominating the competition for much of the second half of the season.
That is what great players do, and LaMarcus was fearless in assuming the role of the No. 1 option on offense for a team beset with injuries to its other top players.
He has always been good; for much of last season, he was spectacular. But what exactly does he need to do to ensure his recent level of play continues for the duration of his career?
I think it's also important to note that the inclusion of something on this list doesn't necessarily mean that Aldridge is bad at it. It simply means that even a slight improvement in that area could go a long way towards helping the progression of his overall game and his team's performance.
1. Finishing with Both Hands
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LaMarcus Aldridge is a very gifted offensive player, and he is very good at finishing around the basket or in the post. One thing he's lacking, however, is a strong ability to finish at the rim with both hands.
While watching Dirk Nowitzki in these playoffs, it became very apparent that a 7'0'' player, who has the ability to finish at the rim with both hands, is nearly impossible to stop. Scratch that, it may very well be impossible for 99 percent of the players in the NBA.
If Aldridge works on becoming more comfortable going to the basket on both sides, it will give the Blazers an easier way to score points when the game is on the line by not allowing the defense to cheat to one side or the other.
2. Passing
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He wasn't bad at all in this area, in fact, he seemed to improve as the season wore on. But teams are always adjusting and trying to eliminate what a player is comfortable doing. That's why Aldridge needs to continue to develop his ability to read the defense and know when to pass and when not to.
The longer Aldridge is the focal point of the Blazers' offense, the more double teams and confusing schemes he is going to face. But if he continues to learn how to involve his teammates as well as himself in the offense, his teammates will have more confidence in knowing that Aldridge will find the open man.
3. Pick-and-Roll Defense
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Because offense isn't the only area of his game that could potentially see improvement, I decided to include something here that the Blazers struggled with all season long. It seemed that, at will almost, other teams could set screens and get mismatches that the the Blazers were powerless to stop.
Aldridge is long and athletic, and while pretty much any big man would have trouble staying in front of some of the lightning-quick guards that are in the league right now, being able to eliminate the penetration of those opposing players would help the Blazers immensly.
Of course, part of it is on the coaching staff to come up with better defensive schemes to help Aldridge and the other Blazers succeed.
4. Three-Point Shooting
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In a closely contested race to make the All-Star team this past season, Aldridge was edged out by Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves. One of the reasons, I believe, Love was chosen ahead of Aldridge was because Love became so effective on the offensive end from almost anywhere on the court.
The Timberwolves forward shot almost 42 percent on threes this past season, an incredible rate for someone his size. LaMarcus already shoots very well from two to three feet inside the arc, and with some practice, he could potentially increase his range to include three-pointers.
If teams had to start guarding him all the way out there, it would space the floor and open things up a lot more for the Blazers' offense.
5. Ball Handling
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Aldridge is a very good shooter, post player and he's also able to move well without the ball, leading to a lot of easy baskets in the form of alley-oop dunks . Aldridge could become even more dangerous if he became better at taking the ball to the hoop.
The jump hook he's developed over his career has become a very reliable shot for him, but that's from the post area. He also spends a fair amount of time spotting up near the perimeter for long jump shots, which is okay because he is so good at shooting.
If, however, he were able to develop a good shot fake and then drive by when the defender rushes out at him, he would become almost impossible to guard, as teams would have to choose which high-percentage shot they wanted to concede.
