LaMarcus Aldridge – Covertly clutch in high pressure situations

During the Portland Trail Blazers’ win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, two particular shots stood out to me. The first was LaMarcus Aldridge’s eight-footer off a spin move with 1:59 left, when the Blazers were leading 98-94. The second was Batum’s jumper shortly after, when he buried a three-pointer with 1:25 left to make the score 103-96.

These shots stood out in particular because of the Blazers’ poor performance the night before, when they squandered a late lead to ultimately lose to the Mavericks in overtime. “Poor” is probably too nice of a word, as the Blazers blew an 11 point lead with 1:55 left. In contrast, against the Rockets, I was ecstatic to see Aldridge and Batum step up and make the clinching buckets.

As the Mavericks game showed, playing well during the first 90% of the game only gets you so far. Building a lead is great (and certainly the goal), but at the end of the game, when push comes to shove, someone still needs to step up and make a basket or two. Milking the clock is an important strategy, but when the shot clock is winding down and the game is drawing to a close, having players who can knock down those shots is invaluable.

Jan 8, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts talks to forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) during the second quarter against the Miami Heat at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

To that end, the Blazers are lucky to have Aldridge in these situations. But before we go there, let’s back up. There isn’t much to say about Aldridge that hasn’t already been said. He is consistently excellent, day in and day out. He is the Portland’s foundation, and even without the homer goggles on, he has probably cemented himself as the premier power forward in the league (while acknowledging Anthony Davis and his freakish athleticism).

Aldridge’s defense is more than solid, he has helped keep the team afloat during a host of injuries to his teammates, and he has put off surgery to keep playing. Damian Lillard is the team’s young, rising star, but in the present, Aldridge is who makes this team what it is.

Ceasing digression, though, one aspect of Aldridge’s game that may not get as much discussion is his ability to be “clutch.” The word clutch is a rather loaded one, and one that fans and pundits alike can debate endlessly. Putting the noise aside, there are hard numbers to look at that show just how good Aldridge has been in close games.

The NBA stats website officially defines clutch time as when a game is within five points, during the last five minutes of a game or overtime. Adding in some basic qualifiers (players who played at least 40 minutes of clutch time and attempted at least 35 field goals), our very own Aldridge comes in at fifth in the NBA in field goal percentage (51%) during such situations, out of the 42 qualifying players.

This means that he is shooting a higher percentage than other big names around the league such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, and Kyrie Irving. And lest you think that this could be up to some sample size disparities, out of the 42 players, Aldridge has attempted the 14^th most field goals in these situations. Aldridge isn’t just converting clutch opportunities efficiently, he’s doing it frequently as well.

I personally find the NBA’s version of clutch a little broad, as I like to see the numbers from even higher pressure situations – for example when the difference in scores is one possession or less (so within three points). Five minutes also seems a little long, so I ran the results for “clutchness” when the game is within three points and there are three or less minutes left, so that we can really separate the wheat from the chaff.