Santi Aldama rises like foam: “He has crazy eyes”

The ancestry of Santi Aldama He is rising in the Dallas Mavericks. The Spanish international, an “obsessive competitor” with “crazy eyes” according to his coach, is earning more and more minutes and was already 19 on the court in the Texas team’s victory against the Indiana Pacers (125-122), contributing 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist with 4/9 in field goals and 1/5 in triples in his third game with Dallas and after his injury.

Aldama continues to strengthen its connection with Cooper Flagg and scored his only triple off a pass from the Mavericks’ prodigy, once again extraordinary last night with 43 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, the 19-year-old teenager showing off next to a Kyrie Irving with 35 points. Dallas, still without Sergio de Larrea due to injury, he adds his third straight victory to go 7-4 in the West. Pascal Siakam was the best of the Pacers with 29 points, although he only scored three in the second half after 26 in the first.

Santi Aldama was the first player on the bench to come on to act as a center during his time on the floor with his player out due to injury. Morez Johnson Jr.

The interior of 25 years He finished with a positive impact on the court of +4 thanks to his contribution on both sides of the court, anchoring the 2-3 zone that the Mavericks deployed at many times and opening the court in attack with his outside threat and penetrations.

Aldama opened his scoring account with a basket after rebound to also force a foul in one of those actions that infuses spirit and energy. The Mavericks needed it against some fighting Pacers despite the casualties – among them Tyrese Haliburton-, who led 56-66 at halftime.

But the canary’s best action was a hook in a play in which he combined precision in both the finish and the timing of the cut to penetrate. The same thing happens to Aldama, who scores, who cuts and who blocks. A type of jack-of-all-trades player who is highly coveted in the NBA and explains why he is the most established Spanish player in the best league in the world today after five years.

Despite their good work, the Las Palmas interior went to the bench with two minutes of the third quarter to never return. Although Aldama was showing solid defense, the Canary Islander suffered at times in the paint with the greater size of Ivica Zubac and after committing a foul with the Croatian he had a conversation with his coach Dusty May on the sideline.

Whether it was an argument or not, the Spanish international was on the pitch for one more minute before remaining on the bench for the rest of the game. It could simply have been due to a tactical decision by May, who brought back her starting center, Daniel Gafford, a larger option to defend Zubac.

Even so, if that discussion was a moment of tension, everything was forgotten with the compliments and ‘apologies’ from the Dallas coach at a press conference.

“I would call Cooper (Flagg) an elite competitor. Santi has crazy eyes when he competes. Coop stays in his mode of completely focused on winning. Sorry Santi,” Dusty May said with a laugh. All good vibes in some Mavericks who trust more and more in Aldama.