Aldama’s path to Grizzlies inspired by Gasol brothers
Growing up in Spain, Santi Aldama often watched Memphis Grizzlies games. Although they came on late, he just had to watch fellow countryman Marc Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Gasol became a model for Aldama’s game as he grew to be 6-foot-11, and so was Gasol’s older brother, Pau, from his days with the Los Angeles Lakers. Because of both, he developed his ballhandling and worked on his outside shooting.
“They were great at everything,” Aldama said Wednesday. “So I’m just trying to mirror what they do and copy their moves. Their style of play has definitely helped me as a player.”
Many were surprised when the Grizzlies traded up to draft Aldama with the 30th pick in the first round. Some sites projected him as a second-round pick, and he chose to skip the draft combine to stay and train in Spain.
But it was almost fate he ended up in the same city that both of his heroes played in.
“I know I landed in a great spot with history from the Gasol brothers, so I know they treat Spanish people right here,” Aldama said.
It added more joy to his draft party celebration back home in Gran Canaria. A video posted by his college coach at Loyola, Tavaras Hardy, showed two of his friends shooting off confetti while everyone yelled and cheered Aldama.
His journey was a mystery to most NBA fans but not overseas as one of Spain’s most promising young players. He led Spain to the Fiba-under 18 European Championship in 2019 and was named the tournament’s MVP, joining a list of future NBA players like Nicolas Batum, Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas and Dario Saric.
The performance also impressed Hardy, who traveled to watch him play.
“I was able to go to Greece and watch every game and just saw all of those attributes,” Hardy said. “You just saw he was a competitor. He wanted to win, he willed his team to the gold medal.”
Aldama only played 27 games in two seasons at Loyola. He missed 22 games as a freshman because of knee surgery, and Loyola played a shortened 2020-21 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite that, he was one of only two qualified Division I players to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds last season. While he was named first team All-patriot League, Hardy called him a diamond in the rough with more room to grow.
“He’s still a young colt in terms of his development and potential. He averaged 21 and 10 for us, and honestly, if we would’ve had a full offseason, those numbers would’ve been closer to 30 and 15,” Hardy said.
The Grizzlies were still impressed. They conducted interviews with Aldama to gauge his interest in the NBA or playing overseas, and general manager
Zach Klieman said the team fell in love with his shooting and mobility.
But just like this year’s No. 10 overall pick in Ziaire Williams, the Grizzlies are taking a patient, long-term approach with his development.
“The more skill you can have relative to size, it’s something that we really think translates at a meaningful level,” Kleiman said.
Aldama said his struggles in NBA Summer League have come from adjusting to faster speed of play. But he’s taking it in stride as lessons to learn.
It’ll also serve him well if he gets to face Marc Gasol this season. Aldama hasn’t met either Gasol brother, but a potential on-court meeting with Marc would make his journey come full circle.
If it happens, it’s a moment Aldama would cherish knowing he’s following the Gasol’s footsteps in Memphis.
“Just watching them play has been an unbelievable experience, and I’m so sad that they’re not going to play with the national team anymore,” he said.