The Canarian Santi Aldama (Las Palmas, 24 years old) is one of the few good new additions for the Memphis Grizzlies this season. While the team’s star, the controversial and talented Ja Morant, watches the games from the sidelines, injured and unconvinced of the franchise’s new features, the Spanish interior misses no opportunity when he appears. This Friday, during the peninsular dawn, the great forward transformed his first start into the best score of his career, 29 points against the Sacramento Kings who are collapsing with eight consecutive defeats and a balance of three wins and 13 defeats, the worst start in the history of the Californian team.
“We played better, we saw good signs even if the last quarters were tough. We knew that we were close, that we had to carry forward our idea. This victory is very satisfying, but we have to keep pushing”, said Aldama, chosen as the best player in a match that ended 137-96 in favor of the locals. With a new 45 million contract under his arm and the conviction to always give his all on the pitch, the Canarian began his fifth season in the American championship with the clear role of sixth man in the group, now coached by the Finnish Tuomas Iisialo. “When he plays at this pace he is a difficult player for defenders”, the coach complimented him last night.
Aldama attributes his constant growth to the aggressiveness he tries to apply on the pitch, a characteristic he continues to work on. The same on defense. In any case he is satisfied with his work, and always feels prepared when the coach calls him, like when one goes to an exam after studying. The numbers speak for themselves: 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal per game on average in 25.8 minutes of play (47.5% accuracy in baskets and 32.5% in triples, one of the outstanding questions). He has already achieved ten consecutive doubles, scoring more or less what the group asked for in each match.
In his public appearances, the canary also acts as the leader of the locker room. “Defending well, sharing the ball and finding the free man are key elements for us. It was difficult for us, now we have to put together some victories. This starts today and we have to continue to build from this victory, but we believe in the work we have done”, he replied after the group’s second victory in the last ten matches, after a rather negative start with five wins and 11 defeats in total. Injuries don’t help either, with four of their point guards out and key players like Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. injured.
Despite the group’s tumultuous start, the Grizzlies try to remain optimistic. “You can always extract positive aspects from difficult moments. This challenge also allows us to find solutions and accelerate the growth of other players,” commented Iisialo, who intends to implement a new playing philosophy in Memphis. “We have very basic principles, but the technical and tactical execution is another story,” the coach added. From this year, those from Tennessee apply the devastating pace of play that made the Finn emerge in Europe with Paris Basketball, finalist in the French championship, cup champion and winner of the Eurocup in 2024.
The innovative system involves short rotations of three to four minutes per player, with the aim of always maintaining a very high intensity, but the constant changes annoyed Morant and caused a bitter disagreement that ended with the star of the group being disqualified from the match. Memphis’ theoretical leader said he has lost his joy this year and tacitly blamed the coaching staff for his notable decline in performance this year. The Grizzlies are already evaluating behind the scenes the possibility of transferring him and starting a project with four appearances from scratch playoffs in the last five seasons, failing to advance past the conference semifinals they reached in Aldama’s debut year.
For the Spanish defender, accustomed to coming and going from the bench throughout his career, the coach’s new requests do not represent any problem. “My mentality is to have an impact in every game, in every play, and that’s what made me raise my level,” he said in an interview with EL PAÍS last year. He has been one of the few constants in Memphis all these years, and his perseverance has allowed him to survive and earn a very lucrative contract (15.6 million this year) in a competition where domestic talent has been minimal.
After the golden era led by the Gasol brothers, Ricky Rubio and partners (they reached 10 national teams in the same season), the pick and shovel philosophy that Aldama represents and also guides Hugo González’s first steps with the Boston Celtics establishes itself as the main way for the Spaniards to establish themselves in the NBA at the moment.
