Can Aldridge Maintain All-Star Play With Kawhi?

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3) Mindset:

• Kawhi Leonard is rumored to be very close to a return to the court and this bodes well for the Spurs as a team, but will it hurt LaMarcus Aldridge’s resurgence? Hard to say, but it will be completely dependent on Aldridge’s mindset. He cannot change his scoring mentality when Kawhi returns and the Spurs also have to give the bigman his touches to keep him motivated as well--it's a two-way street.

2) Energy:

• A Kawhi return will potentially warp the offense but it should not affect Aldridge’s rebounding and defensive energy. The bigman still has to attack the paint like he did before, particularly at the end of games for the Spurs. The organization has done right by Aldridge from a contract perspective and even tweaking the offense for him; he has to keep those thoughts fresh in his mind when the team starts feed him a bit less on offense.

1) The Kawhi-Effect:

• Another scorer on the floor for the team should open up more doors for Aldridge versus closing them. Opposing teams will be less likely to double team the star, allowing him to take advantage of his opponents at a faster rate. It’s also on Kawhi to make an extra effort to find Aldridge on offense because the Spurs have no chance to win a title without the big fella.