Santi Aldama stats: How has the second-year player fared so far in NBA?
Santi Aldama is a sophomore in the NBA who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. He put up a career-high for both points and rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday (Mar. 20) night. Aldama put up an impressive double-double by adding 22 points and 14 rebounds. His efforts helped the Grizzlies beat the Mavs 112-108, but how has Santi fared for the team so far?
Santi Aldama is becoming a more solid role player for Memphis, averaging 9.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. As a result of his efficient performances this year, the Grizzlies have awarded him more minutes. Aldama is playing 21.9 minutes per game, which is ten minutes more compared to his playing time last year.
After his stellar performance on Monday, it's clear that the Spaniard has hidden potential waiting to come out. As he's signed to the Grizzlies under a four-year contract, the team still has a couple more years to bring out his full potential come the summer. For now, though, let's wait and see what the young big man can bring to the table come the NBA playoffs.
Looking at Santi Aldama's NBA journey
Santi Aldama entered the 2021 NBA draft and was initially selected 30th overall by the Utah Jazz. The Jazz traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies later that night. After ten days, the Grizzlies offered him a four-year contract worth $10.24 million.
During his rookie season, Aldama barely made an impact for Memphis, averaging 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds. To be fair, the team hardly played him, featuring him in only 32 games. He also had little time to prove himself as a player, playing only 11.2 minutes per game, but that doesn't mean he wasn't able to show what he could do.
Santi Aldama had a couple of big games in his rookie season. In December 2021, the rookie big man put up his first double-double against the OKC Thunder. He added 18 points and ten rebounds in a dominant 152-79 victory. He then put up another double-double, this time in his last game of the season. Aldama added 20 points and ten rebounds against the Boston Celtics.
Other than those games, Santi struggled to find his place on the team. Fortunately for him, he has now being given the opportunity to show what he's truly capable of this season, which could translate into bigger opportunities in his thrd year.