Santi Aldama

[jman3134]

Another day, another prospect review. This time I am reviewing Santi Aldama and his draft prospects.

In my new segment, 'Diggin' in the Tape', I review the top trending prospects in major college basketball and draft eligible prospects out of the G League. In my first episode, I review Loyola (Md.)'s Santi Aldama, a positionless 6'11 Spanish wing/forward with a versatile offensive toolset. While his team began the season on a covid break and this contributed to their slow start (in addition to playing Lafayette in 6 of their first 10 games), they have picked up steam recently and could be dangerous in a conference tournament scenario. Aldama has performed admirably, showcasing a more consistent stroke from long range to complement his high basketball IQ. In terms of his background, Aldama comes from a basketball family. Santi's father played professionally in Spain and Portugal, and ultimately for the Spanish National Team in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Similarly, his uncle was a professional basketball player in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Santi cemented his status as an elite prospect at the FIBA U18 European Championships, where he led his Spain team to a gold medal, earning an MVP after averaging 18.0ppg 7.6rpg 2.6apg [2.3bpg 1.9spg and posting the highest plus-minus rating at the event]. These performances placed him squarely on the NBA's radar.

In terms of his evaluation, most of the lure behind Aldama as a pro prospect stems from his intriguing offensive profile, coupled with his good measurables. Standing at 6'11, Santi functions primarily as a wing in Loyola (Md.)'s offense. He possesses excellent straight line quickness - bolstered by nimble feet - and thrives moving without the ball, demonstrating an advanced awareness of floor spacing. As such, Aldama is constantly in motion and he utilizes the threat of his outside shot to backdoor cut on his opponents. After beating his man, Aldama does a nice job finishing either bounce passes or lob plays over the top of the help defender. When he does not finish on these plays, the misses are mainly 'concentration misses', as opposed to instances where he was disrupted by contact.

https://bit.ly/3pI0tXl


What do you all think of him as a prospect? He is definitely rising. I saw him maybe a couple of weeks ago and this has been in the works for a bit.

[clyde21]

i don't think he's gonna be in this class, but I like him...curious why you're high on Santi tho and not Franz? what do you see is the difference here?

[jman3134]

i don't think he's gonna be in this class, but I like him...curious why you're high on Santi tho and not Franz? what do you see is the difference here?

I think it is a relative high. I wouldn't draft Santi in the top 10 either. I think he is a bit underrated at the moment - only because he hasn't been mentioned that much. But, that is changing in the last few weeks.

I don't see how he benefits much from staying at Loyola another year. He needs to refine his jumper and the defensive adjustments he needs to make can't be learned playing against Patriot League competition.

[No-Man]

I know for a fact that his plan was staying all 4 years, he has made some comments that lead me to believe that he may consider coming out but I think most likely is testing the waters, returning and going mid 1st in 2022

To me he is a lotto level guy, I have him top15

[peZt]

Why the **** did he go to fricking Loyola. Would probably be 10+ spots up in the mocks if he had a half decent team

[Hoopz Afrik]

Why the **** did he go to fricking Loyola. Would probably be 10+ spots up in the mocks if he had a half decent team

I still wonder the same thing. Even as a local guy who loves Baltimore/DMV hoops, I wondered why he chose them over schools Georgetown, UMD, hell even UMBC . Must have developed one hell of a connection with their staff.

[jman3134]

It isn't just him. Dike and many other internationals signed with Loyola (Md). There is a recruiting connection to that pipeline in Spain. Dike is incredibly raw at this stage.

[jman3134]

Why the **** did he go to fricking Loyola. Would probably be 10+ spots up in the mocks if he had a half decent team

I still wonder the same thing. Even as a local guy who loves Baltimore/DMV hoops, I wondered why he chose them over schools Georgetown, UMD, hell even UMBC . Must have developed one hell of a connection with their staff.

Santi Aldama: Why the Loyola Greyhounds?
So how does Aldama, who comes from Gran Canaria, and played his entire high school career with the Canterbury Lions end up at the Loyola Greyhounds in Baltimore?

After his performance at the U18 Euros, clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona were tripping over each other to bring Santi into their setup.

He also had the option of the NBA G-League with the exciting new select team alongside international young guns like Kai Sotto, Jalen Green, Princepal Singh, Isiah Todd and Daishen Nix.

So why Loyola?

"I had options," says Santi, "but I wanted to go to college. Of course, you will never say no to the NBA. Right? But I just don't think that should be like my only my only goal in life."

He studies business management and is interested in entrepreneurship and taking that route after his basketball career.

"I feel like I have to develop myself as a person and study and other things are like, secondary. I will work to be the best player ever, but of course, you got to know what what comes first. I feel like having studies is important. So that's what I chose."

Coach Hardy is impressed by his maturity.

"You know, he cares about school, which, for a lot of basketball players, everyone wants to be a pro. It's hard for 18 to 22 year olds to see that at some point the ball is going to stop bouncing, but Santi sees that.

"And he knows it's not either or. I can be both a pro and get a great education and prepare myself for life after basketball. You don't have to choose between the two. And that's what makes him special. He cares about both. He pursues excellence at both."

"And that's what's gonna make him big time in life, regardless of what he chooses to do."

But there was another big reason why he chose Loyola: "Ivo Simovic," says Santi.

"He made me realise like this was a good option for me, and I really trust him."

Now Loyola's assistant coach, Simovic has an NBA Championship ring from the 2014 season at the San Antonio Spurs where he was assistant coach to Gregg Popovic.

"I would say one of the best decisions I made as a first time head coach was to hire Ivo Simovic," says coach Hardy, "he has an incredible background."

"He's from Serbia. But he spent 10 years coaching in Spain. He's worked in the NBA. He's worked in the NCAA, his relationships and his background are the reasons we were able to find out about Santi and get him here at Loyola."

Simovic knows the Spanish game, and also knows Santi's father.

"So that's why I decided to visit Loyola. I wasn't really sure," is how Santi tells it, "I went on the visit, but I didn't really know what to expect. But when I got there. I saw the campus. I saw everything.

"I talked with Tavaras, with Ivo. I just thought, like, this is the perfect place for me. Like, as soon as I visited and talked to them, I knew that this was the place for me. So I had no doubts."

https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/news/detail/santi-aldama-interview-spain-nba-loyola/

[No-Man]

Why the **** did he go to fricking Loyola. Would probably be 10+ spots up in the mocks if he had a half decent team

I still wonder the same thing. Even as a local guy who loves Baltimore/DMV hoops, I wondered why he chose them over schools Georgetown, UMD, hell even UMBC . Must have developed one hell of a connection with their staff.

The coach is a former euro player and friendly with Santi's family he also wanted to do a program offered at Loyola, he intended to stay all 4 years and graduate

He obv helped bring Dike and Alonso to the team

[Hoopz Afrik]

It isn't just him. Dike and many other internationals signed with Loyola (Md). There is a recruiting connection to that pipeline in Spain. Dike is incredibly raw at this stage.

Yeah. They get a lot of their player from overseas and a local school, Boys Latin.

And thanks for the article. I don't know how I've never seen that.

[Ruzious]

Why the **** did he go to fricking Loyola. Would probably be 10+ spots up in the mocks if he had a half decent team

I still wonder the same thing. Even as a local guy who loves Baltimore/DMV hoops, I wondered why he chose them over schools Georgetown, UMD, hell even UMBC . Must have developed one hell of a connection with their staff.

Especially Maryland. Really bad decision for his NBA career.

[No-Man]

Not sure how this guy doesn't get lotto looks, on the verge to get a terrible Loyola team to the tourney, he hit NBA range, and longer, 3s today, his advanced stats for a 6-11 face up wingy/PF type are ridiculous

[jman3134]

Not sure how this guy doesn't get lotto looks, on the verge to get a terrible Loyola team to the tourney, he hit NBA range, and longer, 3s today, his advanced stats for a 6-11 face up wingy/PF type are ridiculous

I like Aldama, but there have to be question marks regarding who he will guard 1 on 1. Also, is his handle good enough to function purely on the perimeter? He is getting there, but I think he is late 1st with upside at this point.

[Hal14]

Not sure how this guy doesn't get lotto looks, on the verge to get a terrible Loyola team to the tourney, he hit NBA range, and longer, 3s today, his advanced stats for a 6-11 face up wingy/PF type are ridiculous

1) Interesting - you see him as a wing/PF type. I see him as a stretch 5. I feel like to play the 4 in the modern NBA you need to be quicker laterally in order to defend 4's. I mean, some of the 4's in the NBA right now are Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Giannis, Jae Crowder, Covington, Zion, John Collins, Tobias Harris, Hachimura, etc. I don't see Aldama being able to defend any of those guys.

I see Aldama as being like a Nikola Vucevic/Karl Anthony Towns type...6'11 center who can step out and shoot the 3.

2) Just seeing his highlights for the first time now and very impressed. I know it's lower competition level but this dude looks like a beast. Really smooth motion shooting the 3 off the catch or off the dribble. Shooting over 36% from 3 as a 6'11" dude at age 20 is nothing to sneeze at. Moves well on the court, blocks shots, etc. Based on where he's being projected (one recent mock I saw had him go with 45th pick) he could be a major sleeper..

Watch on YouTube

[Hal14]

Not sure how this guy doesn't get lotto looks, on the verge to get a terrible Loyola team to the tourney, he hit NBA range, and longer, 3s today, his advanced stats for a 6-11 face up wingy/PF type are ridiculous

I like Aldama, but there have to be question marks regarding who he will guard 1 on 1. Also, is his handle good enough to function purely on the perimeter? He is getting there, but I think he is late 1st with upside at this point.

I see him as a stretch 5 who would guard the Vucevic's, Ayton's, Towns', Turners and Valanciunas' of the world.

His handle looks pretty good. I actually see a few similarities with Aldama and Roko Prkacin. Both have a swagger, a confidence with the way they play, and both have this style of play on offense where they are very assertive and not shy at all about pulling the trigger on 3's and making nifty dribble drive moves to the rim. Both have been good lob threats. Good fundamentals, good motor. Aldama is like Prkacin, except Aldama is 2 inches taller and 2 years older. I feel like Roko is better at defending out on the perimeter and switching onto smaller/quicker guys which is why I think Roko can play the 4 but Aldama might be limited to only being a 5..

[pad300]

I think his feet need to be fast enough to play the 4, because I don't see him able to guard say J Val, not without adding 30 lbs of muscle...

[Hal14]

I think his feet need to be fast enough to play the 4, because I don't see him able to guard say J Val, not without adding 30 lbs of muscle...

1) I think he's much more likely to bulk up a little bit and add muscle/mass than he is to someone become a more switchall defender with better lateral quickness who can lock people down on the perimeter.

There's clips here which show a couple plays where wings go right by him off the dribble - and this is vs Patriot League competition: http://jtmbasketball.blogspot.com/2021/02/diggin-in-tape-part-1-santi-aldama.html

2) Nicolas Claxton and Kai Jones are both 6'11". Aldama is also 6'11" and his height/weight measurements are nearly identical to Jones and Claxton. Claxton is a 5 in the NBA and Jones projects as a combo 4/5. Jones is a much better perimeter defender though with the potential to guard 1-5 which is why he could play the 4. Depending on the team he goes to, Jones might play the 5. Jones is seen as a guy who can play the 5 in the NBA though, as is Claxton. Isiah Jackson is also seen as a 5 at the next level and he's only 6'10", 206 lbs.

Guys like Valanciunas (traditional big man, more of a back to the basket type, not as switchable on D, not as much of a floor spacer) those types of guys we're seeing less and less of. They're the guys who are seeing less minutes in the playoffs (Ibaka, Drummond, etc.)

3) Aldama would struggle to body up Valanciunas in the paint, but Valanciunas would struggle to chase Aldama out on the perimeter - Aldama would go by him off the dribble, he'd hit 3's, he'd outrun him, etc.

[Ruzious]

I know a lot of people here liked him, but tbh - I don't see him as an NBA prospect. He doesn't have the skills, athleticism, or aggression, imo.

[fteru6uhre54ew]

He has the talent for sure the confidence and the body he is like 6'11 forward with a lot of guard skills. If he get drafted in a good team that can develope him well. Just the quickness and all of that to mature his body as a power forward he could be the steal of the draft

[Ruzious]

That's such a low level of competition he's faced. Guard skills that work there just won't in the NBA. I could be wrong - hopefully I am - but I doubt it.