Exclusive: Grizzlies' Santi Aldama pushing NBA, FIBA "evolution" for basketball's future

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Preferred basketball styles, strategies, and NBA player prototypes have been in flux since before the introduction of the three-point line. A new trend has emerged this season as Taylor Jenkins and the muscled-up Memphis Grizzlies are going against the pick-and-roll grain. Why? Well, using Santi Aldama as a 6-foot-9 Swiss Army knife to support Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey, and Ja Morant has unlocked a Western Conference contender. ClutchPoint caught up with Aldama for a chat about the game’s direction, the Grizzlies’ season, and where differing basketball worlds should look to blend.

Aldama offered a fresh take on how the changes with the Grizzlies the season, career challenges, and how blending the best of both worlds will shape the future of basketball. The 24-year-old was sensitive to legacies but looks forward to seeing more of the ball since point guards are no longer the dominant hubs of previous eras.

“It’s definitely interesting with the evolution (and international influence),” Aldama began. “Obviously, you can see trends but at the end of the day it’s like every sport, you can compare players and (playing styles) to 40 years ago and say it’s not that great. You can say ‘If Messi played back in the day, he would have destroyed everybody’ right? That just comes with physical evolution and everyone understanding the game better, not just the point guard position.”

“To understand the evolution of playing the point, you’ve got to understand the evolution of the game in general,” added Aldama. “Honestly, great shooters used to shoot two shots a game that were like the best shot available early. Now they shoot ten.”

Everyone on the court must be a competent shooter and ballhandler to earn minutes with the Grizzlies. If not, the team has a weak spot that will be exploited during an NBA Playoffs series. It’s the basics of basketball at every level. However, sloppy possessions have become all too common and the discourse around the downfall of American fundamentals has risen along with the percentage of European players in the NBA.

There is one area where America gets things right according to Aldama.

Santi Aldama appreciates American academics

Academy systems in Europe are known for being lackadaisical if not negligent academically. There are few limits on training time and fewer hours spent in the schoolhouses. Unfortunately, those careers in soccer and basketball can be over at 16- or 18-years-old without an outlet to remain in the sport. Late-bloomers like Jaylen Wells, for example, would likely have washed out of the European system before ever getting to Sonoma State much less the Grizzies.

For all of the NCAA’s faults, Santi Aldama can appreciate that at least the American system allows athletes to chase glory while also getting a degree.

“I like how it is set up here (in the United States) with college. I think it’s a route that helps players develop whereas players in Europe do not get that much of an opportunity,” noted Aldama. “So I think the (collegiate system) is pretty good and we still get 18- and 19-year-olds in the NBA capable of playing minutes.”

However, there are downfalls to being in the spotlight too soon. Aldama knows that getting humbled by grown men trying to feed a family can be beneficial for any one-and-done dreamer.

“The academy system in Europe is super high level. I think the way teams are set up, it’s more team basketball,” Aldama said. “More learning the roots of the game and how to play the right way. In America, I feel it’s more about mixtapes and all that does more damage than good for most players. Obviously, a few players still thrive but there is a big middle ground that gets lost there.”

“You see these high school kids that have all of this potential, this hype, and then they- I don’t want to say level up to it because that is not fair- but it’s a matter of if you’re mixtape looks better than your game and there is this (undeserved) credit,” added Aldama. ‘Then there is someone who does the dirty work, who does the right stuff every day, those are the guys that are in the NBA. Not only are they super talented but their dirty work is a highlight play.”

Young players need more development time and fewer travel ball games with strangers. Those high-level rec runs do little to build a professional-level foundation of basic skills. Aldama believes some sort of promotion and relegation format creeping into American basketball would help bring a balance to the competitive ecosystem. Local clubs could even be compensated for training when players do transfer up a level. This would allow every organization to find a proper level instead of the expensive shoe circuit pay-for-play models currently in place.

Small markets, Grizzlies deserve fair shot

The NBA might expand enough to implement a tiered competitive system as well with all of the expansion plans. Santi Aldama is willing to hear out the ideas as long as the Grizzlies and other small-market teams have a fair shot at a championship.

“I think (promotion and relegation) has its pros and cons. Without it, you know what teams are in the league every single season…(Two 20-team NBA leagues) would be super interesting. Obviously, there is not really a penalty in the NBA for not having a good year,” Aldama grinned. “You actually get rewarded with draft picks to help with rebuilding. In Europe, you can’t have a bad year because if you do you’re not playing in the best competition the following season.”

The Grizzlies are thankful big spenders in large markets cannot exactly buy a title in America either. Not when compared to European soccer clubs which simply outspend the rest of the domestic league to acquire trophies. Phoenix Suns owner Matt Ishibia’s first foray into free agency and the trade markets were great examples of how the CBA’s checks and balances are intended to work.

“There is a beauty in it with all of the salary caps and stuff,” Aldama admitted. “There is a little less competitive advantage (enjoyed by the wealthiest owners in big markets) with the cap but each system is good in their own way.”

Memphis might be a small market but the Grizzlies are gunning for an NBA Finals appearance while ducking the luxury tax. However, while the NBA thrives on competitive parity and collegiate pipelines, Aldama sees value in blending elements of the respective approaches.

“(I would do) a mixture of both,” laughed Aldama. “I think European basketball wants to kind of model what you guys (Americans) have going here but some in American basketball want to model some of Europe. I think the sweet spot lies in between both concepts really.”

As the NBA and FIBA consider expansion and new structural ideas, Santi Aldama's vision of a hybrid approach offers a blueprint for the future. Basketball's growth is not just about the players on the court but also about the systems, cultures, and innovations that continue to shape the sport for generations to come. Players, executives, fans, coaches, and broadcasters will just have to grow with The Game.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver should take note: The interview ended as soon as 10-minute quarters were mentioned. Why? Well because several of the other players in the locker room started laughing at the idea.

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