Santi Aldama has just emerged as one of the leaders of the generational transition that the Spanish basketball team is experiencing. The man from Gran Canaria, who has to share responsibility with Juancho Hernangómez in the power forward position, showed that he is one step ahead of the now Panathinaikos player. Against Canada, with the confidence of Scariolo, the islander signed 20 points and four triples.
It was the summer of last year when the Spanish basketball team appeared in the Eurobasket in the middle of the reconstruction process after the last service sheet of the Gasol brothers in the 2021 Olympic Games. With a low profile and with Rudy Fernández as the only member of the old triumphant batch, Scariolo’s team won the continental gold medal. Now, a year later, Spain has been eliminated before the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Cup and the doubt that was dispelled a year ago with the European triumph returns to the scene on the new sap.
In this sense, Santi Aldama, who ruled out being part of the Spanish team last year to focus on his breakout with the Memphis Grizzlies, He has emerged as the great hope for the next decade in the ranks of the national team in the premiere with the absolute shirt.
In a debut with the world spotlight on his role in Sergio Scariolo’s rotation and that he has shown that despite having to win the starting position in the national team in his direct fight with Juancho Hernangómez, is one of the leaders of the national team along with his brother.
There is an inner game for a while between Aldama and Willy, although the regeneration of the team still needs to be completed with the final goodbyes of Sergio Llull and Rudy Fernández, who will hold out until the possible participation of Spain in the Olympic Games in Paris if they access the pre-Olympic route.
Thus, with the budding regeneration within the La Familia locker room and the role that Aldama has played in the five matches played to date in the World Cup until being eliminated, a future is glimpsed in which the power forward from Gran Canaria has the leader stripes in his hand.
From less to more
Aldama’s senior debut in the official tournament left a shy role. “It didn’t turn out as I would have liked, of course, but in the end we got the victory, which is the most important thing,” the player trained at Canterbury College conveyed about his first game against the Ivory Coast, in which he scored 8 points and 5 rebounds. .
Already against Brazil in the second clash of the tournament he uncovered himself with an outstanding performance at the right time to seal the ticket of the selection to the second phase of the World Cup. There, the islander reached 15 points, with the same 5 rebounds, and also scored his first triple in Jakarta.
Against Iran, in a match in whiche Spain was already classified for the group that is equivalent to the round of 16, Aldama stayed at 11 pointsin addition to signing 8 rebounds -four of them in the ring of the Asian team-.
When the moment of truth arrived, it was possible to glimpse the importance that Aldama has on the playing field. Against Latvia, in the first of the two games that Spain had to play in the second phase, Scariolo only gave them eight minutes of play. 2 points and 1 rebound and the first disappointment for the national team, with a Hernangómez that was fading away.
But with the last bid, in which the team said goodbye to the quarterfinals, It became clear that Santi is one of the decisive pieces of this team. Scariolo realized that he had to use the man from Gran Canaria and gave him 25 minutes, when he went out on the court almost at the end of the first quarter and began to score baskets up to 20 points, thanks to four three-pointers. Spain lost, but Santi won stripes.
11,3
points per game
The tournament started timidly, with 8 points against a weak Ivory Coast. He was uncovered against Brazil, and the lack of minutes against Latvia diminished his statistics. Against Canada, 20.
4,2
average bounces
He combined with Juancho Hernangómez in the power forward position. Open four profile, away from the rim. Even so, he hunts balls. Against Iran he caught eight, four of them offensive.
36%
Hit in the triple
Exterior submachine gun when licensed to launch. Against Canada, in Spain’s last game, the Gran Canarian scored four in his seven attempts. He was able to throw a lot more.
2023-09-05 07:00:53
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