It is in continuous growth. He practically doubled all of his stats and his shooting percentage also took a quality leap. Where do you think he should improve next season?
God willing, a little of everything. In general, I try to contribute a little more in all facets. In the scoring ability, as in making my teammates take easier and more free shots. Defending better and rebounding more are also aspects that I have in mind. Right now I’m focused on that and improving my shot. In the end, the more things you can contribute, the more unpredictable you will be and the more difficult it is to defend yourself.
He went from 11 minutes in his rookie season to 21 on average this year. Also, when he plays a lot, his numbers are remarkable. Is he comfortable with his starting staff or does he feel like he could have more of a presence on the floor? What does Taylor Jenkins tell you?
In the end, the player’s job is to make it super difficult for the coach. With Taylor in general they have a good relationship, but I think that he especially has a good relationship with me and we always talk about it. Obviously I play behind Jaren Jackson Jr., who is an All-Star and defensive player of the year. We have great players in Memphis and I can only find a way to play more minutes, either adapting a little more to the position of three or the position of five. If I am able to make a difference, I will play. I talk to him to find out where I can improve and contribute more. If I do a little more of each thing, it will allow me to take that leap to play more minutes.
Do you hope to have a more important role next season, to win the starting position, be it forward or center as you have indicated now?
I can only control what is in my hands. My job is to improve in the summer and give my best in every game. When the season arrives we will see what the team needs. The season is very long and there will be days when he starts as a starter and others as a substitute. In the end, the important thing is that we win matches and that we have fun.
My plan is to go to the 2023 World Cup and simply be able to live the dream of playing with the national team
Is that locker room fun just one of Memphis’s secrets?
We have many players of an excellent level, but they are all very good people and we get along great. That’s clear. If they see us playing we are all laughing and having fun on the pitch. That’s what I think makes this team so special. It is one of the keys to success and now we have to find a way for that success to be transferred to the Playoffs and that in the future we can go further than this season. [cayeron eliminados por Los Angeles Lakers en primera ronda por 2-4].
the market of NBA is always alive. It is often said that you always have to have your bags packed, for what he can spend. Would you value a trade to find the minutes you have to fight the competition with Jaren Jackson jr. and Xavier Tillman?
It’s not my decision. As you say, the transfer market is very changeable and the teams in the end make a lot of moves, especially on Draft night. Even so, I am very happy here and I want to spend as much time as possible in Memphis because I am very comfortable and I really like both the city and the atmosphere of the team. In the end, my job is going to be looking for minutes with the Grizzlies and trying to win rings with this jersey.
With Taylor Jenkins I have a special relationship, if I do a little more of everything I will have more minutes
How is your relationship with Ja Morant? What are conversations like with an All-Star of his caliber?
He is a very normal boy. He’s obviously a super star and a super player. But other than that he is a great person. He always worries that we are all well. He is very simple, although we cannot ignore the mark that he has, which is brutal. He now he has his own slippers. And even so, he is a very real boy and one of the calmest there is.
How did you receive the news that Morant was sanctioned with employment and salary for the first 25 games of the championship? [se calcula que dejará de ganar unos 10 millones de dólares]. Do you think it will influence the preparation of the squad for next season?
[Contesta a la vez que va mirando poco a poco hacia un lado. La entrevista se hizo de forma telemática y no se aprecia qué hay fuera del plano visual]. He is a great player. Any team that plays without his star is going to suffer one way or another. Those 25 games, the rest will have to do their job and find a way to cover their loss. When I return we will be at our best and we will try to do it as before. Obviously, we would love for him to be with us on the court, but these circumstances have happened [Morant ha sido sancionado por la NBA por mostrarse reiteradas veces con armas de fuego] and it will be full when I get back, which will be as soon as possible.
The secret is that we have a lot of fun playing, so we have to go further in the playoffs
Yesterday it was confirmed that point guard Marcus Smart was joining the team from the Celtics. Together with Jackson, two of the winners for best defender of the year. What assessment does he make?
He is a very good and veteran player, with a lot of experience. He defends like nobody else. Our team focuses a lot on defense. We have a fairly clear plan, which is to defend the paint and shots from the corner. In attack we try to attack by moving the ball. So when a person like Marcus arrives with his experience, he’s not only going to contribute on the track but also at the end off it, together with Steven Adams as the veterans, they’re going to help us improve. Not only succeed in the regular season, but also in the Playoffs, which is the goal for the future.
Ja Morant is a boy who has his own sneakers and yet he is very simple, he cares about everyone
Vitaly Potapenko is on the Grizzlies’ coaching staff. How is his relationship with the Ukrainian? Have you talked about when he went through Estudiantes in the 2006-07 season and left after five games without giving reasons for his disappearance from Madrid?
Yes, he told me about that situation [ríe]. We have very good people working on the franchise. I’m not saying it to say. It’s for real. And Vitaly is a person of ten. He is very calm and good trainer. Those of us who are taller he helps us. He had a good career in the NBA. He was caught in a very high position in the Draft [el duodécimo en 1996, por los Cavaliers, justo por delante de Kobe Bryant y otros All-Star como Steve Nash, Stojakovic, o Jermaine O´Neal] and we make use of their knowledge to acquire the experience that perhaps the youngest lack.
It depends on Sergio Scariolo, but if it were up to you, do you already feel ready to play in the World Cup this summer with the Spanish team?
My plan is to go, God willing and I have the possibility. I want to finally be focused with the senior team, which, as I have always said, is a dream. Simply by being able to have that experience I really want the World Cup to start.
2023-06-23 09:42:55
#Santi #Aldama #goal #continue #Memphis #win #rings
