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Grizzlies PR: Status Update: Santi Aldama is doubtful tonight vs. Atlanta.
Damichael Cole: No Ja Morant listed here. Santi Aldama is questionable again, and Ty Jerome remains out. He should be close.
Memphis Grizzlies PR: Status Update: Ja Morant and Santi Aldama are available today against Orlando. Jahmai Mashack, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Javon Small (Two-Way Transfers) are inactive.
What has been the key this season to being more on the floor and contributing as well as you do? Jock Landale: Opportunity. Opportunity is everything. Coach Tuomas Iisalo has provided me with such, and I've really enjoyed the opportunity of playing with guys like Santiago Aldama. Just the ability to have a coach that kind of has faith in me and allows me to go out there and make mistakes and learn from them and continue to grow at 30 years old is something that's kind of unique to my situation here. And I think I always had confidence in the fact that I was going to be able to provide this kind of impact off the bench or even in a starting role at times this year. I think it was just whether or not I was going to get that opportunity that I might have been losing hope a little bit. So, at 30 years old, to be able to do this and provide impact, and probably the best year of my career has been reinvigorating, and I always knew that I'd be able to do so if given that chance.
Damichael Cole: Dillon Brooks on when he sees Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama guarding him: “It’s barbecue chicken, for sure when I see those guys. … It’s always fun when I see those guys and they get on an island with me. Especially now. Show them exactly what’s going on.”
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The Grizzlies have upgraded Ja Morant (right calf contusion) to questionable for Wednesday’s game against Phoenix. Santiago Aldama (right ankle soreness) and Vince Williams Jr (left patellar tendinitis) are also questionable, and Jaren Jackson Jr (illness) is probable.
The Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic went viral during Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies over his extremely profane smack talk for Grizzlies big man Santi Aldama. In the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., Doncic was whistled for a foul after running over Aldama as Aldama was setting a screen. Doncic clearly felt that Aldama embellished the contact a bit and responded with a vulgar message. “F–king soft a– b—h,” Doncic could be seen saying on the television broadcast.
Grizzlies PR: Status Update: Santi Aldama is available tonight against the Lakers. Ja Morant (right calf contusion) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (two-way transfer) are out.
Thankfully for Tuomas Iisalo's undermanned squad, Jackson delivered 18 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and one block while shooting an efficient 7-9 from the field over 30 minutes in Utah. The sudden return to the rotation and subsequent explosion against the Jazz painted a picture of a player staying ready. Aldama did not hold back in his assessment of Jackson's return. “(Jackson) did a great job,” Aldama began. “It's not easy not being with the team for a bit, going to the G-League for a bit. The fact that he was poised, let the game come to him, and played super hard was great. He was a big factor in the (win over the Jazz). I'm super happy for him, and it's good to see him progress.”
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You’ve already had an important role on this team. But with his absence, how have you adjusted your game? Santi Aldama: “It’s not easy. At the beginning of the season, I didn’t expect to play at the ‘5’ at all from the conversations with the coaching staff. But the group needed me to do it. It’s been hard to adjust at times. But it’s also been seamless because of the work we’ve put in and I’ve been with Jaren [Jackson Jr.] my whole life. I’ve played the 4, and he’s played the 5. Now we’ve kind of switched it up. But it’s about having honest conversations and seeing where I can help the group at all times. With being one of the most veteran guys on the team and having been here as one of the longest, it’s important for me to be that voice and constant amid the chaos.”
Did I read correctly that you’re on the NBPA’s board and you’re trying to do some foundation stuff for Spain? Aldama: “Yeah, I’m on the foundation board, but it’s not necessarily for Spain. We helped because there was a natural disaster last year. I was with the board at that time. But they helped a lot with [Jose] Calderon. He was a huge driver of that. We were able to contribute a bunch of resources to the people that suffered. The NBPA helped big time. That was one of the things that motivated me to be on the board with the foundation. We can help when the fires occurred and Jamaica now [with Hurricane Melissa]. We’re trying to help anybody and everybody. Then whatever ventures the players have or anything that’s passionate to them, we can match and help. I think that’s important because we’re more than basketball players. We’re lucky enough to be in a privileged financial situation and social situation. We can donate a lot and also make people aware of things that drive us.”
You’ve said that you’ve liked Tuomas’ ideas as first-year head coach. What has that collaboration been like so far? Aldama: “He’s obviously very numbers-driven. He reads the game at a very high level. I’ve been lucky enough to be with teammates with the [Spanish] national team that have played a very similar style of basketball. He coached for Paris, and Valencia plays a very similar style. So throughout the whole summer, I spent time with three or four guys that played that same style of basketball. We had a sneak peek with the last nine games and the playoffs. But now being back with Coach, I’m chopping it up and understanding where to get the advantages and what they’re doing in Europe and how it translates to NBA offenses.”
Damichael Cole: Final: Grizzlies 119 Blazers 96. Memphis had a 69-35 advantage in bench points. Santi Aldama led the way with 22 points. The Grizzlies have won five of their last six games. Two games under .500. Utah Jazz next, and a likely Ja Morant return.
