- 19.4 PPG, 9 seasons
- 2nd in franchise history in points (12,562)
- 1st in franchise history in rebounds (5,434)
On the night of the 2006 NBA Draft, the Blazers acquired the second pick LaMarcus Aldridge from the Chicago Bulls in exchange in for the fourth overall pick Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa. That trade worked out fantastically for the Blazers. Thomas never lived up to his draft slot and Khryapa never averaged more than 3.6 points for the Bulls.
As for Aldridge, he averaged 9 points per game as a rookie and made the All-Rookie team. He became a full-time starter in his second season and averaged 17.8 points per game.
Aldridge continued to improve over the offseason and raised his scoring average to 18.1 points per game in his third season. He then averaged 17.8 points, once again, in his fourth year. In late 2009, the Blazers signed both Aldridge and Brandon Roy to five-year contract extensions.
Due to Roy struggling with a knee injury, Aldridge stepped up as the number one option during the 2010-11 season. He averaged 21.8 points and won player of the month for February 2011. Aldridge was selected to the All-NBA third team after the season.
Aldridge averaged 21.7 points per game in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, earning his first All-Star selection in the process. Aldridge was selected to the All-Star game again the following season and averaged 21.1 points per game.
Even though he was already an established player in the league, Aldridge continued to improve as a player. He averaged 23.2 points and a career-high 11.1 rebounds during the 2013-14 season. He also set a franchise record for the most points in a playoff game with 46 points against the Rockets.
Aldridge went on to average a career-high 23.4 points per game during the 2014-15 season, which would be his final season in Portland. He was selected as an All-Star starter and was named to the All-NBA second team. Aldridge signed with the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason.
On the court, Aldridge relied on his fadeaway and it was almost unguardable at times. He could score in the post with ease, as well.
LaMarcus Aldridge has one huge thing going for him, longevity. He was able to average over 20 points per game for five consecutive seasons in Portland. If he didn’t split his workload with Brandon Roy earlier in his career, that streak would be even longer. He climbed the franchise leaderboards and is second in Blazer history in points. For these reasons, Aldridge lands at number 3 on our list.