Loyola's Santi Aldama, Maryland's Jalen Smith Taking Advantage Of Opportunities In NBA

Former local college basketball stars Santi Aldama and Jalen Smith are starting for the Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers, respectively.

Aldama (Loyola) and Smith (Maryland) each played two seasons of college ball and now find themselves earning more and more opportunities by playing solid ball early in the regular season.

Aldama, a 7-foot, 215-pound power forward, has been productive for the Grizzlies, averaging 9.9 points (on 43.9 percent shooting) and 6.3 rebounds per game entering play Nov. 4. The Spaniard cracked the starting five to begin the season with Jaren Jackson Jr. out due to a foot injury.

Aldama, 21, was drafted No. 30 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz before being traded to Memphis. He was the second Loyola Greyhound to ever be taken in the NBA Draft, the first being Mike Krawczyk in 1972 by the Baltimore Bullets.

Aldama spent much of the 2021-22 season in the NBA G League, but the 2022-23 season has become an opportunity for Aldama to prove the talent he flashed as a Greyhound. Aldama attributes his new role and recent success to the work he has put in since being drafted.

“I put in the work this summer and I felt I was in a good spot,” Aldama said on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 1, seven games into the Grizzlies’ season. “We have a lot of good players and players that can fill up the gaps, and like we say, next-man-up mentality.”

Aldama is taking full advantage of this opportunity to make his mark on the NBA. However, he is not letting the pressure get to him and is still looking to have some fun.

“I think it was more about embracing the opportunity and having fun,” Aldama said of being an NBA starter. “Obviously [you have to] perform, but I think that was what rookie season was for, just getting used to everything. Everything was new and the lights were shining on you and all that, but now it’s more like, ‘All right, I know what to expect. I already put the work in so I just got to go out there and have fun.'”

In two seasons at Loyola, Aldama averaged 19.0 points per game (on 49.5 percent shooting) and 9.2 rebounds. His size and shooting ability made him a unique threat in college and attractive to NBA teams, according to Loyola head coach Tavaras Hardy.

“We all know [on] draft night there were a lot of people surprised hearing his name called,” Hardy said on GCR Oct. 31. “But we weren’t and the Grizzlies weren’t. Obviously they take him in the first round, [which] meant they believe in him, and he’s proving them right. It’s with his work ethic and he has tremendous upside. His talent, he’s 7 feet, he can dribble, pass and shoot. From our perspective, we allowed him to do that here. We helped him develop with that.”

Aldama continues to shine on the national stage with support from veteran teammates like Steven Adams, but he still thinks there is room to improve.

“This is my second season,” Aldama said. “I think there is a lot of room for improvement and I’m nowhere near my best self. So yeah, I think I’ve gotten a lot better than last year in many different areas, you know, just my mind, my body, my game … [but] I still think there is a long, long way to go.”

Former Mount Saint Joseph and Maryland star Jalen Smith is enjoying a similar start to the season. After winning a starting job with the Pacers, Smith is averaging 11.9 points (on 45.6 percent shooting) and 8.6 rebounds per game entering play Nov. 4.

The Baltimore native was drafted No. 10 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns and has finally gotten his chance to contribute to an NBA team with the Pacers. While playing behind a stacked Suns rotation that included big men Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder, the 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward finished his rookie season with the Suns but was traded to the Pacers in February 2022.

While he learned quite a bit in Phoenix, Smith is grateful for the opportunity to start for an NBA team.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Smith said on GCR Oct. 28. “Phoenix was a great organization and I was close with everybody there. Everybody loved me [and] I loved everybody, but it was just a tough rotation to crack as a young kid coming into the league. But at the end of the day, Indiana gave me the opportunity to flourish and [I] felt that was the perfect situation for me.”

Smith knew he had the ability to start in the NBA while he was a member of the Suns. He just had to wait and pounce on his opportunity, even if it was with a different team.

“There was never self-doubt because I knew what type of player I am,” Smith said. “I know what I’m capable of and I wouldn’t have been in the NBA if I wasn’t capable of doing what I can do.”

With that said, Smith has improved since being drafted.

“I do believe I’m a lot better than what I was,” Smith said. “That comes with being in the NBA. The NBA and college are two different games. You got to adjust your game.”

Smith flourished in his two seasons at Maryland, averaging 13.5 points (on 51.6 percent shooting) and 8.6 rebounds per game. Smith holds the University of Maryland and the city of Baltimore close to his heart, but says he feels comfortable in Indianapolis.

“Everybody is showing me tremendous love around the city,” Smith said. “And hopefully I can make this my home for the rest of my career.”