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San Antonio Spurs: LaMarcus Aldridge goals recap for the 2017-18 season

By Rob Wolkenbrod

SAN ANTONIO,TX - MARCH 17 : LaMarcus Aldridge #12 of the San Antonio Spurs wants a and one after a foul by Minnesota Timberwolves at AT&T Center on March 17, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO,TX - MARCH 17 : LaMarcus Aldridge #12 of the San Antonio Spurs wants a and one after a foul by Minnesota Timberwolves at AT&T Center on March 17, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /
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Before the 2017-18 season started, we gave San Antonio Spurs star LaMarcus Aldridge three goals. Did he achieve any of them?

In the build to the start of the 2017-18 season, we looked at goals for a handful of players on the San Antonio Spurs. This included LaMarcus Aldridge, weeks after he signed a multi-year extension to remain with the Silver and Black.

Of course, with the season over, it’s time to look back on those mini-predictions for these players, including Aldridge. We gave him three goals to achieve, so let’s see if they came to fruition from October to April:

Improve 3-point shooting:

Before the season, Aldridge said

Gregg Popovich desired more 3-pointers

from him. This actually came true, as the third-year Spur took 92 3-pointers compared to the 56 from the 2016-17 campaign. However, it was only at a 29.3-percent clip. It makes this somewhat of a wash since he took more shots, thus leading to the decline in percentage.

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  • Average a double-double: Aldridge averaged 8.5 rebounds per game, so this was not accomplished. Can anyone blame him, though? With Kawhi Leonard out most of the season, this took the 32 year old away from the hoop and forced to take 18 shots per game — his most since the 2014-15 season with the Portland Trail Blazers, leading to 23.1 points per game.
  • Make the All-Star Game: With Leonard’s aforementioned absence, and Aldridge’s ascension into the top scoring role, this virtually locked in a spot at the All-Star Game. The now six-time All-Star was terrific from the start of the season to its finish, playing his best basketball in three years for the Spurs. This nod to go to the STAPLES Center was deserved and if everything trends the same way in 2018-19, he could make another appearance at the mid-winter exhibition.

    • Next: Top 25 players in SAS history

    Aldridge was 1-1-1 in his goals if you consider the first one a wash. His value to this team was impossible to quantify, though, given the adversity they faced for 73 games while still making the postseason. So, what should he strive for in 2018-19?

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