SAN ANTONIO — Ask Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge about the team’s mindset after getting rocked by injuries in the preseason and he’ll stick to the basics.
That’s just Aldridge. He’s never been one to engage in hyperbole. He keeps his answers short and gets to the point.
So, what’s been the Spurs’ collective frame of mind as they’ve regrouped after losing young guards Lonnie Walker IV, Dejounte Murray and Derrick White – in that order – to injuries in a six-day span.
“I mean, shoot, there’s no change in mood,” Aldridge said after Monday’s practice. “We have to keep fighting, keep finding a way. Guys have worked hard over the summer, so other guys will get more opportunities. The mood is still to keep getting better and take care of business."
“No excuse. You come in here to do a job and it sucks (that the Spurs have lost three players to injuries). Those guys are very valuable to us. We’ve just got to keep pushing.”
The Silver and Black open the regular season against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the AT&T Center. The game is one of 12 that will be broadcast by KENS 5, the official TV station of the Spurs. Wednesday night’s pregame show on KENS 5 starts at 7.
Aldridge, 33, is starting his fourth season with San Antonio and 13th in the NBA. He had a stellar season in 2017-18, earning a spot on the All-NBA team for the sixth time after leading the Spurs in scoring and rebounding.
A six-time All-Star, Aldridge averaged 23.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks. He started all 75 games he played in, averaging 33.5 minutes.
“I feel good,” Aldridge said. “I had a great offseason, getting healthy. Had a good camp as far as working on things and finding chemistry with the guys, so I feel good. Just ready to go.”
With Kawhi Leonard gone, Aldridge is now the face of the Spurs franchise.
“It’s not about that here,” he said. “It’s about the whole team and it’s about guys playing together. It’s never been one guy or a face here. It’s always been about the whole group. I’m not buying into that or thinking about that.”
While season openers have become old hat for Aldridge, Bryn Forbes is trying to get used to the idea of starting the first game on the schedule. And at point guard, at that.
A three-year pro, Forbes was thrust into the starting lineup after White sustained a heel injury last Wednesday in a preseason game at Atlanta. An MRI exam the next day revealed a plantar fascia tear in White’s left foot.
White moved into the starting lineup after Murray, who supplanted Tony Parker as the Spurs’ starting point guard last January, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last Sunday in a 108-93 loss to Houston. Murray is expected to miss the entire season.
San Antonio’s rash of injuries began when Lonnie Walker IV, the team’s first-round draft pick in June, tore the medial meniscus in his right knee. Walker is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks.
Forbes started the preseason finale at point guard against Orlando and played relatively well, finishing with eight points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 26 minutes.
Forbes played mostly shooting guard last season, averaging 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 80 games. He made 12 starts and led the team in three-point percentage (89-228, 39 percent).
Forbes said Monday that his biggest challenge heading into the season is “trying to keep everything in order” as he adapts to filling in at point guard. Knowing everyone’s position and knowing where everybody is supposed to be.
“That’s something I’ve been working on, looking at plays and going over that stuff. But it’s gotten a lot easier, especially over the years. My rookie year, I spent a lot of time working on the point guard position. That’s probably what I did most.”
Forbes said the speed of the NBA game has slowed down for him since his rookie season.
“Oh my God, my rookie year, it probably would have been a major struggle” to jump into the breach at point guard, Forbes said. “Especially playing a new position, trying to learn all new plays, all that stuff. The game has slowed down a lot. I see some things that I wouldn’t have seen, even last year. Just a lot of growth the last few years."