MANILA, Philippines - Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge plans to do things he’s never done before, including a visit to Manila this summer and playing for the US at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year, the NBA All-Star disclosed in an overseas conference call where The Star participated the other day. But his focus at the moment is leading the Blazers to the playoffs and a shot at the championship.
Aldridge, 29, is nursing a torn ligament in his left thumb and a few days ago, sprained his left index finger. The 6-11, 240-pound Dallas native, however, isn’t considering surgery and will play through the pain for the chance to bring the Blazers all the way to the throne. This season, he’s averaging a career-high 23.5 points. He’s also hitting career-highs in free throw percentage at .853 and three-point percentage at .373. In 61 games so far, Aldridge has knocked down 31 triples compared to a total of 24 he scored in his first eight seasons.
Portland is running fourth in the Western Conference with a 44-25 record, first in the Northwest Division. Last season, the Blazers posted a 54-28 record, a 21-win improvement from the previous campaign, and eliminated Houston, 4-2, before losing to eventual champion San Antonio, 4-1, in the playoffs.
Leading the Portland charge are Aldridge, point guard Damian Lillard, Nicholas Batum, Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo subbing for injured Wesley Matthews who’s out for the season with a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Holdover reserves include Dorell Wright and C. J. McCollum while Chris Kaman, Steve Blake, Afflalo and Alonzo Gee are among the newcomers.
Asked about his improved shooting, Aldridge said he worked on it last summer. “In the offseason, I’ve tried to become more comfortable with the three,” he said. “It’s just a little bit of hard work in the summertime and being more comfortable with the offense, being in my prime and feeling confident out there. I’m a very competitive guy and I feel like I work hard every summer to come back better every year so of course, I feel like I’m the best power forward. I think every guy should feel like that.”
Aldridge singled out three power forwards who influenced his career – Tim Duncan for his court demeanor and basketball smarts, Kevin Garnett for his jumpshot and competitiveness and Rasheed Wallace for his high release fadeaway.
Aldridge said playing with Lillard has made it easier for him to excel. “With us on the floor, our 1-2 punch is pretty good,” he said. “I think I make him better and he makes me better. Dame is so good because he can shoot and get to the basket. He’s very athletic for his size so he can finish at the rim around bigger guys. He can shoot the ball so well from deep that it makes him tough to guard. People always talk about him being like Gary Payton.”
Aldridge was a candidate for the US team that played at the FIBA World Cup in Spain last year but withdrew. Now, he plans to play in Rio de Janiero. “I’ve had things happen where I couldn’t participate but it wasn’t anything against anyone,” he said. “Nothing personal. I’ve always wanted to play for the US team but it’s always been bad timing. So the next Olympics, I’m going to definitely try to be there and be on that team. I’m looking forward to it.”
Aldridge’s Portland teammates Lopez, Lillard and Matthews visited the Philippines last year. This summer, it could be his turn. “They had a really good time, it was fun and they enjoyed every minute,” he said. “I’ve had invitations to come the last couple of summers but I’ve been busy with working on my game and some family stuff. But maybe, this summer will actually be the summer I’d get over there and have more free time.”
With the playoffs around the corner, Aldridge decided to forego surgery on his left thumb. “The risk of playing with an injury varies from player to player, injury to injury,” he said. “Mine is a hand injury so I don’t think it’s too harmful on my career. Whether I get it fixed now or later, it’s going to be the same. I’ve been told that I’m shooting the ball better since my injury. So that’s kind of weird but I think it just makes me focus on my form more because I have tape on the hand. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make with not being able to use my left hand too much is in defense and rebounding. I notice that I can’t do a one-hand rebound as much now with the left since I have the brace on.”
Aldridge said the Blazers are more battle-ready to go to the top this season than last. Health, however, will be an issue down the stretch. “We’ve all grown from last year,” he said. “I got better, Dame got better, every player that was on the roster last year got better. We have an opportunity to win this year but we have to play a lot better and maximize our time out there. Our bench is a lot better as far as experience goes. This team is probably a bit better than last year. Arron came in and Steve, they gave us more experience and they make us better, too.”