LaMarcus Aldridge Integrating Into Versatile Spurs Offense

How the San Antonio Spurs against the Memphis Grizzlies are gradually integrating LaMarcus Aldridge into a uniquely versatile offensive scheme.

There were some obvious and not so obvious storylines in the San Antonio Spurs-Memphis Grizzlies matchup Thursday night. Where else to start but Spurs assistant coach and shooting savant Chip Engelland’s impressive plus/minus, as expressed through the sugary sweet stroke of Kawhi Leonard’s distance shooting.

Going 7-of-9 from deep for the game, he even allowed himself an uncharacteristic little smile after knocking down his seventh straight. At a league leading 50 percent, the best defensive player in the league is also currently the most efficient 3-point shooter in the NBA– Kawhi is officially the King of 3-and-D.

Bringing smiles to the faces of Spurs fans everywhere was the all-around play of Tony Parker, who in the second quarter especially had a noticeable zip in his step, looking for his offense, knocking down shots and generally looking close to his relentless buzzing best, continuing his surprising and spritely early season form.

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LaMarcus Aldridge was having fun as well, he looked notably less dithery with ball in hand than of late on offence, making crucial quick decisions rather than allowing the ball to stick.

Aldridge’s ability to catch and go – whether “go” is to shoot, pass or put the ball on the floor for one or two dribbles to force a rotation, is a visible barometer of his integration and comfort level in the Spurs offense, which for all its beauty when humming, is susceptible to moments of static indecision.

Individual performances aside, the game revealed an interesting stylistic contrast between the Spurs’ first and second units.

With the Spurs’ starters struggling for an offensive rhythm early in the game with an iso-dominant offense featuring Kawhi primarily and Aldridge to a lesser extent, Popovich went to the exciting smaller lineup of Patrick Mills, Manu Ginobili, Kyle Anderson, Boris Diaw and David West; a lineup that with three natural playmakers in Ginobili, Anderson and Diaw played a drive-and-kick style that is starkly in contrast to the first unit’s.

This style is reminiscent of the 2013-14 championship Spurs’ offense, a perpetual motion machine with one pass compelling its recipient to deliver the next, cuts made in sync and without thinking, until the ball inevitably outpaces the rotations and a high percentage shot is unearthed.

Starters Tim Duncan, Leonard, Danny Green and Parker can all of course play this way – they damn near perfected it – but with the transition to Leonard and Aldridge as the focal points of the offense, the ball is liable to get sticky and harder to ping around in a crowded mid-range area, where both those guys operate.

The dynamic between the two styles is fascinating, and if there’s a happy medium, Pop will find it. The aforementioned quick decision making from Aldridge is key, as is the extra space that Kawhi can create if he can maintain his remarkable 3-point shooting.

While that transition is happening however, something Popovich doesn’t expect to finish until March, it’s useful for Pop to be able to go to the ultra-altruistic style of the last couple of seasons.

This offensive versatility was especially visible against the backdrop of a limited Grizzlies offense. The Griz are what they are – there is no real plan B. They are seemingly stylistically married to slow-paced, inside-out, grit and grind basketball. But when the grit is scarce and the grind is in short supply, the offense looks as if it’s running in quicksand.

I do think Memphis has stylistic wiggle room, mostly with tweaking Marc Gasol’s role, a ridiculously skilled human being who is underutilized in a frigid Grizzlies system.

Giving him license to shoot 3s, and having more of the offense run through him just a few feet further out above the arc as opposed to his usual playmaking position in the high post, creating much needed space and maximizing his playmaking, a la Andrew Bogut with the Golden State Warriors when he has the ball at the top and the Splash Brothers are slaloming around picks.

Imagine if Bogut could shoot 3’s like Big Spain. Yikes.

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For the Spurs, managing these two contrasting offensive philosophies, without sacrificing their by far league best defense, allowing a monstrously puny 91.1 points per possession, will be a season-long project. It’s a fascinating and valuable problem to have. Ask the Grizzlies.