The Spaniard prepares for his second season with the Grizzlies
He assures that he has invested the summer in improving a lot in defense and in being more consistent in his shot
The Spanish Santi Aldamawhich starts its second season with the memphis grizzlies, assured this Monday that his goal for the new course in the NBA is to continue improving consistently and tirelessly. “Go day by day and improve 1% every day, that’s my plan. I feel very confident to start training and what comes after,” he said at a press conference for the Grizzlies’ NBA Media Day (day official open house for the media for the new NBA season). “I feel much better with my body, my mind and my game. That’s why I’m very excited,” he added.
Aldama, 21, had 4.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists in an average of 11.2 minutes per game in his first season in the NBA. The Spaniard was part of a very young and captivating Grizzlies that were one of the great sensations of last year in the NBA and that, with the leadership of the explosive Ja Morant, reached the semifinals of the Western Conference, where they fell to the Golden State Warriors. “It’s been a pretty good summer for me. Obviously because of the NBA Summer League (he played this preseason tournament with the Grizzlies) but also because of the work I did behind the scenes,” the forward said.
Aldama explained that he has spent much of his time over the summer “getting bigger and stronger to have more of a presence on defense” and also increasing his “consistency” on the shot. “I trust the team a lot and I think the team trusts me a lot,” he said.
Finally, Aldama showed his pride in following in the footsteps of the Memphis franchise of historic Spanish players who were also part of the Grizzlies, such as the brothers Pau and Marc Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro. “It is an honor to be in the same place as them: the Gasols and Navarros. They are legends in Spain,” he closed.