LaMarcus Aldridge recently decided to shut down his Twitter and Instagram accounts, and this was so wise. NBA players already have to deal with difficult questions from the media on a daily basis, and it certainly doesn’t help their stress level to continue getting abuse when they’re online.
Ever since Aldridge closed his social media accounts, he has almost been a different player. Having spent additional time with the San Antonio Spurs definitely helps, but you can’t deny the numbers. Aldridge shut things down after a game against the Golden State Warriors, although he claims that the events were unrelated.
“I just wanted to lock in on my season right now, it had nothing to do with that game,” he said to the San Antonio Express-News after a 130-99 win over the Houston Rockets. “It’s not anything about the game. It’s a new adventure for me. I’ve never been in this system, with this team. I’ve never been on a top-2 team in the West.”
He recorded five points, one rebound and three turnovers in the loss to Golden State, but he has been pretty brilliant in the matches following that time. He has scored 25 or more points in five games after Jan. 25 and seems to be just getting started. He’s shooting 58.5 percent from the field in February, and if he can keep that rate up then San Antonio will be difficult to stop in the playoffs.
Aldridge is becoming everything the Spurs hoped he would evolve into, and his teammates are learning where and when he likes the ball. It should be fun to watch how this squad competes against other elite teams in the postseason, and here is hoping the basketball gods grant fans a series against the Warriors. Closing his social media accounts was a crafty move by Aldridge, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if this was suggested by head coach Gregg Popovich. LaMarcus deserves a lot of credit for his decisions in the last year. He clearly made the right call in coming to San Antonio, and he is now reaping the rewards of that choice.
