Cole Aldrich
Grade: B+
Pete Camarillo: When the Clippers signed Aldrich it was almost an afterthought considering the other big names added. However, the 27-year-old center proved capable when on the floor. He started out the gate slow, but eventually found himself in the rotation. He even earned himself some run in the playoffs.
Over the season, Aldrich registered 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 16 minutes per game (14.8 and 13 per 36 minutes). Aldrich averaged 16.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in four starts. He provided genuine size off the bench which the Clippers otherwise lacked, he protected the rim, crashed the boards better than most, and always played hard.
You can’t really ask for more than that from your backup center. The only thing keeping this from a clear “A” is the fact that Aldrich can and probably will exercise his player option to become a free agent again this offseason, testing the Clippers’ minimal amount of cap space.
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