NBA: Ranking every team’s best player in 2019-20
. . LaMarcus Aldridge. 17. player. 29.
The superstars in the league are those with the best combination of offensive prowess, off-court personality and team success. Their place in the hierarchy of the league — modern and all-time — is often debated. LaMarcus Aldridge has perpetually been just one half-step below the superstar discussion, and therefore largely left out of the all-time discussions.
His seven All-Star selections places him just outside of the top-60 in NBA history. His five All-NBA nods places him just within the top-50 all time. He is 68th in career points scored, 47th in career field goals made, 69th in points per game. Not counting his rookie season he has always scored between 17.3 and 23.4 points per game in every season of his career.
He is reliably great and never touched that superstar stratosphere.
As he is now firmly in the downside of his career he should be declining, but he has continued to maintain his production even his mid-30s. That should land him in the top-50 all time for points scored. This ranking is about this season, but the career numbers help to put into context how dependable he has been.
The San Antonio Spurs can count on 20 and eight from Aldridge for at least another year.
Looking ahead: At some point the Spurs will need to replace Aldridge, and there are a handful of intriguing backcourt players to look to as the next Spurs’ star. Dejounte Murray was a defensive monster for Gregg Popovich two seasons ago and if a year missed due to injury doesn’t slow him down, he has the most upside.
Derrick White has been a huge value for the Spurs, but likely lacks true star upside, while Lonnie Walker has to iron out the inconsistencies in his game to take the next step.