10 NBA players sure to regress in 2018-19

4. LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs

It’s simple math, really: A content-with-his-role LaMarcus Aldridge posted the best numbers of his San Antonio Spurs tenure last year thanks in large part to a preseason heart-to-heart with Gregg Popovich and the fact that Kawhi Leonard appeared in nine total games. That won’t be the case again in 2018-19.

While playing with DeMar DeRozan is not the same as ceding touches to a top-five player like Leonard, the arrival of a new star wing will eat into Aldridge’s looks and offensive burden. Aside from the obvious age concerns, a lack of 3-point shooting could also bog down the offense.

Aldridge and DeRozan are both mid-range gunners, which either means they’re going to thrive together, or one of the league’s worst 3-point shooting teams is going to be unable to provide them enough space to work from their sweet spots. With DeRozan in town, it’s just unlikely a 33-year-old Aldridge bests the 23.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game he averaged last year.