Heart Arrhythmia Sidelines LaMarcus Aldridge Indefinitely
San Antonio announced Saturday afternoon forward LaMarcus Aldridge will be out indefinitely after he was diagnosed with a minor case of heart arrhythmia.
The San Antonio Spurs will have to try and erase a 1.5-game deficit on Golden State without the services of LaMarcus Aldridge.
San Antonio revealed Aldridge will not be in the lineup for Saturday’s nationally televised game against the Warriors and will be out for an unspecified amount of time after discovering what doctors are calling a minor case of heart arrhythmia.
Saturday’s game was already slated to be without Kevin Durant, recovering from a knee injury, Kawhi Leonard, as he is in the league’s concussion protocol, or Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala or Klay Thompson as the Warriors are opting to rest their star players.
The absence of Aldridge wasn’t expected, but heart conditions are nothing new for the five-time All-Star forward.
During his rookie season in Portland, Aldridge was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a condition that caused dizziness and erratic heartbeats, forcing him to miss the final nine games of the 2006-07 season.
In 2011, Aldridge underwent a surgical procedure, one that forced him to miss a week and a half during the lockout shortened season.
Aside from the 2011-12 campaign, one that featured just 66 regular season contests, Aldridge had played in 69 or more games in each of the past eight seasons.
Prior to Saturday’s announcement, Aldridge had not missed consecutive games this season, as he leads the team in blocks per game while ranking second in scoring and rebounding.
The official Spurs Twitter account provided a brief statement on the future of Aldridge.
"The San Antonio Spurs today announced that forward LaMarcus Aldridge will be out for an indefinite period of time due to an occurrence of a minor heart arrhythmia. All parties have concluded at the current time it is best for Aldridge to refrain from play until further tests and examinations are completed. The Spurs will provide updates as appropriate."
Aldridge is averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per game this season, while playing 32.6 minutes a game, two more than his debut seaosn with the Spurs a year ago.
The Spurs have 18 regular season games remaining and have won nine of their past 10 games, but will have to wait until further evaluations are conducted before Aldridge can play again.
Both Aldridge and Leonard have started a team-high 58 times out of a possible 64 contests, with coach Gregg Popovich routinely rests players during the regular season to prepare for a deep playoff run.
The Spurs have posted a 5-1 record without Aldridge on the court and are hoping the veteran duo of Pau Gasol and David Lee will be enough to to make up for the loss of Aldridge.
During his second season in San Antonio, Aldridge was leading the team in blocks per game while ranking second in points, rebounds and free throw attempts.
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Leonard and Aldridge are the only players on the Spurs roster with over 1,000 points this season, with backup point guard Patty Mills ranking third on the team with 603 points scored.
The Spurs are outscoring opponents by seven points per 100 possessions with Aldridge on the floor and Aldridge has been instrumental in the team posting the highest defensive rating and ranking second in points allowed per game at 98.5 a night this season.
After leading the league in 2-point field goal attempts during his final three seasons in Portland, including a league best 659 shots made during his final season with the team, his offensive numbers have dipped with the Spurs.
Aldridge is attempting 15.8 shots per game, his lowest shot total in seven years, while his conversion rate of 47.4 percent is the third lowest of his 11-year career.
The usage rate of Aldridge was at 24.4 percent, his lowest of the past seven seasons, while his scoring (17.3 points) and rebounds (7.5 per game) were at the lowest averages since his rookie season in 2006-07.
San Antonio has 18 regular season games remaining and a six game lead on Houston for the second overall seed in the Western Conference.
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The Spurs should be fine without Aldridge for the final month of the regular season, but will need him in the lineup to realistically pursue the sixth title in franchise history.