In basketball, few things are more wonderful than a phenomenal role player. Every great team needs them — guys who will just do their job at a high level and make winning plays — but we can often undersell just how important an effective role guy is to making any squad function. However, at Nerd Sesh, we're all about highlighting the under-appreciated, so as we sit about ten days deep into the 2021-22 NBA season, here are five supporting pieces who have excelled at their jobs thus far and deserve some love.
LaMarcus Aldridge
After it seemed like he would never play basketball again due to an irregular heartbeat earlier this year, Aldridge has been genuinely spectacular through five games for the Nets. Playing 20 minutes a night, he’s put up 12.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on sparkling 64.3 percent shooting and has demonstrated, yet again, just how crucial situation is to a player’s success.
By the end of his tenure in San Antonio, Aldridge felt borderline unplayable. On a spacing-deprived team, he was yet another player who preferred to operate inside the arc and was only moderately effective as a floor-spacer, and he couldn't nearly offer the defensive value of Jakob Poeltl at center.
When Brooklyn signed him last year, I was skeptical of the fit. I worried he might insist on getting his classic touches out of the post and disrupt the flow of the offense. I questioned how he could be a better option than a simple, athletic roll man who could efficiently capitalize on the pick and roll brilliance of the Nets’ star ball handlers. I doubted his rim protection.
Yet now, as the Nets need quality role players to step up in a big way and aid a struggling offense that has ranked just 25th in efficiency, Aldridge has answered the call.
Offensively, none of my concerns held any water. Aldridge is remarkably unselfish, decisive and efficient in his role, and he is thriving in a spacing-rich environment.
Instead of demanding post touches, he feasts out of the midrange almost entirely out of pick and pop looks, where he is a distinct, quick-hitting weapon. This year, Aldridge has shot an unthinkable 15-20 from midrange — which is, of course, unsustainable, but it honestly doesn’t completely feel that way during games. Every shot Aldridge puts up is a good look from a spot where he excels, and although he doesn’t often stretch out beyond the three-point line, he nevertheless forces rim protectors to clear out the paint, creating clean looks for driving Nets, or he punishes them for giving him room.
When he’s not popping out for a signature midrange jumper, Aldridge is a highly willing mover off-ball. He rolls to the bucket, cuts well and is aggressive in the dunker spot, demonstrating an athletic vigor that he just didn’t often show in San Antonio. He fights on the glass, having averaged 2.0 offensive boards per game, and generally finds a way to be productive and optimize his offensive skill without taking away from anybody else.
Defensively, Aldridge competes hard, is consistently engaged and provides a necessary big body for the Nets on defense. He’s blocked 1.4 shots per game and has been extremely effective defending shots in the paint, having held opponents 17.4 points below their typical field goal percentage inside of 10 feet. His mobility is still an issue there, but he's found a way to provide value for a Nets team that needs interior defense wherever they can find it.
All-around, that two-way production has made Brooklyn 23.8 points per 100 possessions better with Aldridge on the floor, a mind-bogglingly huge number, although it’s come over a very small sample size.
Nevertheless, Aldridge’s return to the court has been essential for the Nets — if they hope to truly contend, they need reliable shotmakers, they need quality bigs, and most importantly, they just need good basketball players who can complement their two stars and make this machine go. Aldridge has been all of those things, and he deserves immense credit for it.
Alex Caruso
Some dudes are just winning basketball players. They scrap on both ends, make smart decisions and are willing to do whatever is necessary to optimize their team’s success. Caruso has always been one of those guys. Decades from now, people may not appreciate that he was a top-four player on a title team due to his underwhelming raw statistical output, but it’s the truth — his two-way ability and general savviness was essential to the Lakers' run in the bubble.
Now that he’s on an impressive Chicago team filled with exciting new talent, Caruso is again just doing his thing in a way that won’t always demand the most attention, but really matters when you’re trying to win games.
Defensively, Caruso has been outstanding for a Bulls squad that has flown around on that end. He’s consistently applied pressure to ball handlers and brought relentless effort on-ball, having held opponents to 39.5 percent shooting. At the same time, he’s used his exceptional instincts to generate a ludicrous 15 steals in five games, which has also helped drive the most efficient transition offense in the league.
Offensively, Caruso has played a multitude of roles. He’s pushed the ball in fasbreak situations, run point in the half-court with the bench unit, and has been particularly outstanding off-ball, making quick reads as a passer, cutting effectively, knocking down his catch and shoot attempts, and even setting a screen or two.
Given that versatility, he can play with almost any combination of Bulls and excel, and he has done just that. Overall, he’s giving the Bulls 8.4 points and 3.6 assists per game on 50.0 percent shooting from deep while playing phenomenal defense. There’s not much more you could ask for from him.
The best role guys are those who do everything they can to help the team, but don’t try to do more than they need to. Caruso embodies that standard — he is the ultimate Swiss Army knife, and he always plays within himself.
With Patrick Williams now out for the season, the burden on Caruso, who is already playing 28.6 minutes per game, will likely only increase for a Bulls team with lofty aspirations. The good news is that he’s not one to back down from a challenge.
Damion Lee
I know that I just said the best role players are those who understand their place within the team, but sometimes, you need dudes who think they’re the best player on the planet and accordingly fear nothing. Lee is one of those guys.
Through five games, he’s averaging a blazing 14.2 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting, and he’s yet to dip below double digits scoring in a single outing.
Lee has consistently played closing minutes and has, by the way, made some massive shots for the Warriors, having scored 6.0 fourth-quarter points per game, a top-25 mark in basketball.
He hit back-to-back threes to give the Warriors a lead against the Clippers midway through the fourth, had two late buckets to help them close out the Thunder, and scored 12 of the Dubs’ last 16 points against the Grizzlies in a fearless effort that earned him a look at the game-tying triple in overtime, although he missed it.
That fearlessness has always defined Lee’s game — I remember being shocked by his confidence when he first appeared on a lowly Hawks team, but in moments like these, you see its value.
But he hasn’t just showed up in the late moments — like any true Warrior, Lee has generally excelled as an off-ball player, as almost all of his three-point attempts have come off the catch and he has been highly opportunistic as a cutter, catching defenses sleeping often.
He’s also been quite competitive on defense, bringing a dogged mentality and holding opponents to just 34.8 percent shooting thus far.
I do still have my issues with Lee when he gets too big for his britches as an on-ball player offensively, where I feel he’s limited, but he really hasn’t had too many of those moments this year, and the positives have far outweighed the negatives.
Ultimately, he’s come up big for a short-handed Warriors team that has desperately needed shotmaking, and he's consistently justified the 28.0 minutes per game he’s been given.
We’ll see how his role evolves as the year goes on, but this is the best he’s ever played and he’s among the most relied upon players on a team that looks like it should be a contender by year’s end.
De’Anthony Melton
Right now, Melton is the lone starter of this group, having stepped up with Dillon Brooks out, and he has handled that extra responsibility phenomenally, averaging 12.4 points per game.
I’ve always loved Melton’s game, largely because he’s another guy with Swiss Army Knife value who has a fundamentally willing skillset.
In the half-court, he can break down defenders with his nifty handle and quickness, but he is an absolute monster in transition, where he has scored 5.0 points per game thus far, a top-15 mark in the NBA.
That has always made him a natural fit for a Grizzlies’ team that loves to play fast, and he can either push the tempo as a ball handler or fill a lane, cutting to the bucket or spotting up.
Melton’s shooting has also been crucial to his success this year. Over his first two seasons, his three-point shot was a limiting factor in his game, but he improved dramatically in that respect last year, hitting 41.2 percent of his triples, and he's knocked down 40.0 percent of his six attempts per game in 2021-22.
Defensively, Melton hounds people with his 6-foot-8 wingspan and has phenomenal instincts, having notched 1.8 steals per game. He also always finds a way to have an impact on the glass and is currently grabbing 5.4 boards per game this year.
So, again, Melton is just a winning player. As a part of the Grizzlies’ consistently outstanding bench unit, the team has been significantly better with him on the floor throughout his career, and that value has been fully on display in his increased role this year, as they’ve been a ludicrous 19.0 points per 100 possessions better with him out there.
He's just such a Grizzlies guy — versatile, two-way, willing to run — so although his minutes will probably take a hit when Brooks returns, stay tuned for another strong season from the aptly nicknamed "Mr. Do Something," who just keeps getting better.
Cam Reddish
All I have ever wanted was for Cam Reddish to be good. Since his lone year at Duke, his career has been filled with flashes, but the consistency has just never been there.
He started last year strong, knocking down his triples and bringing impressive defensive effort, but then went on a brutal shooting stretch, ending up at 26.2 percent from deep as he missed a majority of the regular season due to injury.
But then, when he returned for the Hawks’ conference finals series, he wrapped up the year with a stunning 21-point performance in Game 6, demonstrating some advanced perimeter shotmaking off the dribble. So, I’ve never been able to give up hope.
Right now, he’s giving me more reason to believe than ever before.
Reddish is putting up 16.2 points per game on 44.0 percent shooting from deep this season, and he’s looked so smooth doing it.
He seems comfortable handling out of the pick and roll, is playing at a nice pace and has had several silky, ambidextrous finishes. He’s tried a few step-backs, too, which we saw him weaponize in that game against Milwaukee, but for the most part, he’s just cashing in triples off the catch, which is really all he needs to do to be a productive player.
His shot has always been beautiful, and he hit better than 80 percent of his free throws in each of his first two seasons, so it’s never made sense why he’s been so inconsistent from deep — now, I’m hoping that we’re past that.
He’s also always imposing as a defensive playmaker with his monstrous 7-foot-1 wingspan, and he’s averaged 1.2 steals per game so far.
He needs to improve as a decision maker, his ceiling as an actual shot creator is yet to be determined and, of course, he needs to produce like this for a longer stretch — but I’m excited. If he’s another legitimate rotation guy, then the Hawks should be every bit the team they were last year, which makes them yet another scary group in the best Eastern Conference of my lifetime.
Honorable Mention: Ricky Rubio
Sometimes, I feel like Rubio dictates the flow of a game a little too much, and I don’t love his scoring repertoire, but he’s excelled as a playmaker in Cleveland and has done a great job in helping establish its newfound defensive identity, having held opponents to 38.5 percent shooting. He also nailed back-to-back pull-up threes against the Lakers, which I enjoyed. Overall, he’s averaging 15.0 points and 7.2 assists per game and has brought significant value as a quality veteran for the Cavs.
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