Aldridge reserves his most generous praise for former Portland point guard Andre Miller.
When Aldridge would encounter impossible situations on the floor, Miller would address him during a timeout with specific directions out of the bog.
"He not only knows where to find you, he’ll tell you where to go," Aldridge said.
Miller doesn't like to talk, which Aldridge said made those instructions even more consequential. If Miller felt strongly enough to offer advice, it was for a reason.
"Teams are fronting me or double-teaming me…he was like, ‘Don’t fight it. Just go to the rim, I’ll find you,’" Aldridge said. "And I was like, ‘I can’t even see you,’ And he said, ‘Just go to the rim. I’ll throw it there.’"
That little bit of advice helped Aldridge perfect his crafty spin move to the rim, where he catches a lob, then throws it down.
"There was a game at home -- I think against Orlando. I was getting double-teamed on the catch and I had, like, zero shots going into the second quarter. Andre said, ‘This time don’t even fight. Just go to the rim.’ So I slipped to the rim and ..."
Aldridge had a big smile on his face as he punctuated the sequence. He then shook his head.
"It’s crazy playing with [Miller]," Aldridge said.
Early on, Aldridge has been pleased with Felton, Miller's replacement -- particularly in pick-and-roll play. But Aldridge recognizes that it will take some time before the two cultivate the kind of chemistry he had with Miller.
When told that Miller consistently ranks at the top of the list of guards who rack up quality assists and improve the field goal percentage of his teammates, Aldridge wasn't the least bit surprised. These are rarified stats that don't pop up in box scores -- very few casual observers know this stuff. Most players probably don't even know it.
“But the big knows it!" Aldridge said. "I know it!”
Depends on what you think is more important.
