- San Antonio Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge will miss the remainder of the season, due to a shoulder surgery he had.
- The franchise form San Antonio hide the fact that Aldridge took the procedure on April 24.
- Spurs are one of the teams who are restarting the campaign.
Spurs go Public on Aldridge’s Status
The franchise from Texas released a statement revealing that their best player won’t play until the end of the season. They would post it on their official website, and all over their social media accounts.
“LaMarcus Aldridge underwent an arthroscopic subacromial decompression and rotator cuff debridement on his right shoulder and will miss the remainder of the 2019-20 season,” wrote in the statement.
This practically means that the Spurs’ chances for reaching the playoffs are now minimal, as they lost their most valuable player.
Aldridge played 53 games this season and averaged 18.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 33.1 minutes on the floor. Even though those numbers are not near his previous stats, he would still have the main role in Spurs’ game. The drop in his productivity is, without a doubt, the main reason for San Antonio’s poor record, which sits at 27 wins and 36 losses right now.
The 34-year old already had numerous injuries in the past, and it is possible that he and the team decided to sacrifice the remainder of the campaign, and take all the necessary measures to get him ready for the next season. After all, Aldridge’s statement sounds like that.
“Disappointed, I won’t get to finish the season, with my teammates, but excited that I’ll be fully ready to go next season and beyond,” he said.
The surgery was done almost six weeks ago, but there were no voices from San Antonio about it. The team obviously didn’t want to draw any publicity to it.
Aldridge signed with the Spurs in 2015 and has one more year to finish on his contract after this one ends. In 2020 season, he is set to earn $26 million, and in 2021, $24 million.
He was the second overall pick at the 2006 draft, selected by the Portland Trail Blazers. So far, he earned seven All-Star invitations, and is a five-time All-NBA Team member.
Big Blow for San Antonio
Aldridge is the main figure in Greg Popovich’s team, because his game affects the entire strategy of the Spurs. There aren’t many players in the league who can stop him in the offense, and that is why many try to double-guard him, which opens up space for other SA players to endanger the basket.
Once mentioning San Antonio, they are among 13 teams from the West who are going to restart the season. At the moment, Memphis Grizzles, who are sitting 8th, are four wins ahead of the Spurs. Apart from these two sides, the Pelicans, Suns, Kings, and Aldridge’s former team, the Trai Blazers are going to fight for that last spot, which leads to the playoffs.
It is safe to say that after this news Gregg Popovich’s side has minimal chances of seeing the postseason, but they are willing to give their best shot.
