Aldridge praises 'constructive' talks with Pop, feels better after preseason
Opening up to San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich over the summer has instilled a level of optimism in LaMarcus Aldridge that he didn't previously possess.
The forward agreed Monday to a reported three-year, $72.3-million contract extension. His current deal runs through the 2018-19 season.
"I just went off of how I feel," Aldridge told ESPN's Michael Wright on Tuesday when asked about signing the extension. "I feel like Pop's been great. I feel like this preseason has made me feel so much more comfortable out there. I've been myself, and I feel like I'm going to help us win. I went off how I felt, and just in the moment, I did it."
The Spurs attempted to move the 32-year-old big man over the offseason after watching him struggle mightily in the playoffs, but failed to find any takers. After it became clear that he was likely sticking around, Aldridge approached Popovich to let it be known that he wasn't happy with his role in San Antonio's sytem.
"I feel like the talks this summer were very constructive," Aldridge said. "I felt it was kind of needed, having the heart-to-heart where you just say how you feel. ...
"He's Pop, so you've got to go at it a certain way. As we all know, he's a different guy. But he's very open to listening. I did feel better after. I felt his response was even better. He was like, 'You're right.' At that moment, they started to kind of talk to me about things I like to do.
"I'm happy to have it behind me because it puts everything that happened this summer out of the door, and I feel like I'm going to be better this year."
In five preseason outings, he's averaged 17.6 points on 56.7 percent shooting, five rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals in 26.4 minutes.
"I feel like this preseason has been great for myself, trying to find my rhythm and be myself," Aldridge added. "I feel like the offense has some tweaks where I'm feeling more comfortable, and I feel like I'm helping the team more.
"Pop told me he was happy for me. It just ended up working out for us. It's nice to have that out of the way for myself and the organization."