‘A Psycho Competitor’: Dusty May, Morez Johnson Jr. On What Santi Aldama Brings Two Games Into His Dallas Mavericks Career
DALLAS — Santi Aldama scored 12 points in 14 minutes, 39 seconds off the bench Sunday night, leading Dallas Mavericks reserves in his second game with the team. He made 5 of 7 shots, including 2 of 4 from three-point range, in a 130-93 win over the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Center.
Aldama made his Dallas debut Friday after missing the first eight games while recovering from right knee surgery in March. He had 8 points and 9 rebounds in 13 minutes against the Utah Jazz, and Dallas was plus-17 with him on the floor.
Mavericks coach Dusty May has followed Aldama since watching him play for Spain’s national team at 17.
“The one thing that I didn’t realize, I’d watched Santi,” May said. “I’d seen him play for the Spanish national team when he was 17, and had seen him play throughout the different stages of his career, and really respected him as a player. I didn’t realize he was a psycho competitor like he is. He’s a competitive dude. He’s fiery, and so I think that dimension is really, really good for this group as well.”
“You’re playing 82 games, and just the more competitive guys that just love to compete, the better team competitive spirit you’re going to have,” May continued. “And Santi brings that in addition to his obvious ability to shoot it and make decisions and communicate and things like that. And then just being seven feet, he’s got the build to guard one through five.”
Santi Aldama’s Path From Memphis To Two Games In Dallas
Dallas acquired Aldama from the Memphis Grizzlies on July 8 in a six-team trade. He went 30th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and spent his first five seasons in Memphis, where he averaged career highs of 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 43 games last season.
His last game before Friday came Feb. 4 with Memphis. Dallas recalled him from a rehab assignment with the G League’s Texas Legends in late October. May said after Friday’s game that the coaches first saw Aldama with the regular rotation at that morning’s shootaround.
Aldama scored 5 of his points in the second quarter on a floater and a 3-pointer, both assisted by Cooper Flagg. Daniel Gafford said Aldama helps Dallas on both ends of the floor.
“I mean, of course, another form of physicality, but another way to stretch the floor, honestly,” Gafford said. “And like I said last game, I’m pretty sure he was itching to be back out there on the floor. He just gives us so much offensively and on the defensive side too. So he’s just coming in ready to go.”
Morez Johnson Jr. On Aldama’s Voice
Morez Johnson Jr. and Aldama checked in together midway through the first quarter, and the pair shared the floor again in the fourth. Aldama can handle the ball and even bring it up the floor at times, Johnson said.
“Just him being a pick-and-pop four or five man, being very versatile, putting the ball on the floor, bringing it up sometimes,” Johnson said. “And he’s extremely vocal. I didn’t know he was this vocal until we started playing together.”
Johnson said earlier that Friday was like the first time he and Aldama actually played together, with defenses forced to choose between dropping and switching on their pick-and-pop actions. Johnson did not play more than 18 minutes in a game until Friday. When a teammate jumps in midseason without much practice time, Johnson’s answer is constant communication.
“I was that guy a few weeks ago, so I say just being over-communicative, but just talking,” Johnson explained.
Aldama and the Mavericks (6-4) host the Indiana Pacers on Monday at 7 p.m. CT, the second night of a back-to-back.
