LaMarcus Aldridge made his first start with the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, recording a triple-double in just 22 minutes. After playing three preseason games before being sidelined by injury, the veteran center was eager to play at full capacity and will have an opportunity to do so as long as he can remain healthy.
The “nets big 3” are three takeaways from LaMarcus Aldridge’s first start with the Brooklyn Nets. They include his ability to score, play defense, and make a difference on the court.
With the exception of one game during a back-to-back series, Blake Griffin started every game for the Brooklyn Nets. Coach Steve Nash made the move to LaMarcus Aldridge in the starting lineup after he only played nine minutes in the team’s 117-112 victory at Cleveland.
Against the Boston Celtics, the seven-time All-Star earned the start. And the Nets dominated the Celtics, winning 123-104 and rewarded their coach for a vital tweak.
With that in mind, here are some of our key lessons from LMA’s first experience with Brooklyn.
Three Takeaways From LaMarcus Aldridge’s Debut
3. There will be no more lack of enthusiasm and speed at the start of games.
Nets fans are well aware that this club may get off to a poor start. That’s what you’d expect from a team with so many seasoned (read: elderly) players, according to Coach Nash. Despite the fact that Aldridge doesn’t help much (he’s 36, four years Griffin’s senior), Brooklyn as a team performed faster with him on the field.
“I believe we came to play right away,” Nash said. “We were also quite solid defensively.” We rebounded well and took care of the ball for the most part. We relocated. We came to a halt. We went out and played early, like we always speak about…. I think the pace and fast judgments established the tone for the first half, which was extremely good. We came out strong and had a strong start to the second half, resulting in a wonderful road victory.”
Because Nash favored the start of the first half and the start of the second half (i.e., when Aldridge was out there with the starters), we’ll probably see a lot more of LA with the starters.
2. LaMarcus Aldride allowed the Nets to break free in transition.
THREAD FOR THE FINAL SCORE
The @BrooklynNets are on the road thanks to Kevin Durant’s all-around game!
LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and 11 rebounds. 17 PTS, 5 3PM, Patty Mills James Harden had 14 points, 14 assists, and three steals. twitter.com/S6AoUjP9uZ
November 23, 2021 — NBA (@NBA)
This point follows on from the previous one. The most important aspect of the game was the defense. It enabled them to exit transition and get simple buckets.
Nash said of Brooklyn’s defense, “I believe it boosted up our speed.” “We didn’t play with speed, we didn’t play with ideas, we weren’t static, we moved the ball, and I felt we defended well,” LA said. Overall, the mood was excellent.”
Despite the fact that the Nets don’t have many quality defenders, they were able to keep the Celtics to 37.4 percent shooting from the field and just 23 percent from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum went 4-of-16 from the field, and restricting the man who scored 50 points against Brooklyn in the playoffs was critical. Their other star, Jaylen Brown, didn’t fare any better, making just 5-of-15 shots. Overall, the Nets’ collective defense was victorious.
The defense, like the tempo and enthusiasm, can’t be blamed exclusively on Aldridge, who wasn’t covering Tatum one-on-one. Nonetheless, the squad put on one of its greatest performances of the short season, and LMA was there to see it.
1. LaAutomatic doesn’t make many mistakes.
Aldridge has been as hot as Griffin has been cold this season. Aldridge entered the game having made 50 of 92 shots between the arcs of 8 and 24 feet. That’s more than 54%. It often seems as though LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills, both former San Antonio Spurs players, never miss a shot. Mills’ unstoppable hot run from downtown continued in this game, nailing 7-of-10 three-ball attempts.
Aldridge scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He also had nine rebounds, a dime, a block, and a steal in a solid all-around performance.
Some of what his head coach stated was mirrored by James Harden.
“Our soul, our vitality,” Harden said. “Defensively, we were all on the same page, which helped us offensively.”
Aldridge missed his first two of shots, according to Harden, but then got it going. The Beard couldn’t keep himself from cracking a wisecrack.
“Yeah, I was irritated!” “No, I’m just having fun,” The Beard joked. “One thing about him is that I don’t have to worry about him at all.” “Whether he makes it or misses it, he’s scored over 20,000 points,” Harden remarked. “He’ll get going, and once he does, it just adds a new dimension to our game.”
Easy Buckets = James Harden Plus LaMarcus Aldridge.
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November 25, 2021 — YES Network (@YESNetwork)
What do you believe LA contributes to the starting lineup, according to Kevin Durant?
“Someone who can create space, knock down a shot, simply a big man that can rebound and guard the basket,” KD added, but he also wanted to consider Griffin.
“Regardless of what happens, we’re going to need all of our bigs for the whole year.” I know Blake wasn’t there, but if we want to be the team we want to be, we need him to remain ready,” KD, the undisputed team captain, said.
Griffin may or may not be in Nash’s doghouse for whatever reason. It is, nevertheless, something to keep an eye on. Overall, though, LA’s debut was a huge success.
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