DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge's 3-Point Surge Are Fueling Spurs' Renaissance
Through the first quarter of the NBA season, it looked as though the San Antonio Spurs would be sitting outside the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-1997 season. However, thanks to a recent spark provided by veteran stars LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, the team is back in playoff contention.
DeRozan has been on absolute fire from the field in the last nine games, shooting almost 64% during the stretch. Aldridge has been equally important, hitting close to 60% on treys on five attempts a game from downtown, a welcome departure from his previous skill set.
DeMar DeRozan is 95-149 (63.8%) from the floor in his last 9 games coinciding with LaMarcus Aldridge's new found three-point weapon. LA is 26-44 (59.1%) from the 3-point line in that stretch after only attempting 44 3-point shots in the first 28 games of the season. #GoSpursGo
— Dan Weiss (@DanWeissPBP) January 12, 2020
DeRozan specifically has been shooting at a clip never seen with his volume in the history of the Spurs NBA franchise, setting an incredible record during the turn-around.
DeMar DeRozan scored 25 PTS on 11-15 shooting (73%) Monday night, his eighth straight game with more than 20 points and a field-goal percentage of 50% or higher. That's the longest such streak for any @spurs player since San Antonio joined the @NBA in 1976-77. pic.twitter.com/RcYvMNciGt
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 7, 2020
Wow. Incredible numbers for DeRozan, who has almost disappeared from the average NBA fan's mind since being traded to San Antonio from the Raptors. Due to his spectacular play, combined with Aldridge's masterful floor spacing, we may see the Spurs in the playoffs after all.
San Antonio Spurs sneaking in the 8th seed like pic.twitter.com/nXZzzuop0p
— Imoh (@oso_n3gro) January 9, 2020
While the duo will not keep these shooting splits up for the rest of the season, if the team as a whole is able to shoot better, come April, we may see the Spurs give some of top teams a run for their money in the playoffs.
Would you bet against them?