Memphis Grizzlies: Grading the team’s rookies at 2021-22 midpoint

Santi Aldama has shown he has the tools to be a solid player one day

The consensus on draft night and into NBA Summer Leauge, was the Grizzlies stretched way too high to pick Santi Aldama with the thirtieth pick overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The Loyala (MD) alum was someone that not many fans have heard of or had seen play prior to the team drafting him in the first round.

Aldama has had a trial by fire of sorts during the first half of his rookie campaign. He has been called on to contribute much more regularly than most probably anticipated at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, due to injuries and players being quarantined.

We’ve seen Aldama cobble together some really nice outings: 18 points against OKC, 8 rebounds against Brooklyn, 20 minutes of action against the Clippers— we’ve seen what the rookie can do.

He’s got to learn how to put it all together now. It’s hard to do when you’re averaging around 11 minutes per game, but Aldama’s play has to make you feel more confident of the player he can be one day.

He’s avoided playing poorly when he’s on the floor, finding ways to contribute if his shots aren’t falling or he’s got a tough assignment on defense.

The expectations for Aldama were so low coming in to the season, he has nowhere to go, but up.

Grade: C+