Golf is a humbling game. That can be especially true for basketball players. 

Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama discovered that this offseason when he bought himself a set of clubs and went out on the course for the first time since he was 12 years old. To adjust for his 6-foot-11 height, every one of his clubs is two inches longer than the standard size. 

“I’m still trying to break 100,” Aldama admits. He is certainly not the only one striving for that. 

Grizzlies Santi Aldama, Ja Morant star in preseason win over Orlando Magic

But this newfound hobby, one he has in common with a few of his teammates, was not just a weekend activity. It was a mind-clearer, a reset button, and an opportunity to ground himself during a summer that was very clearly one of the most important offseasons of his career. 

In golf, Aldama is just like everybody else. The pressure is off. He hits the one shot that makes him want to come back and play again. He watches YouTube videos on how to improve his swing and watches Spaniard Jon Rahm, his favorite player. 

Aldama has one career birdie. Ever. But he enjoys the very measurable progress that golf offers through scoring and sessions on the driving range. Basketball is not always so clear-cut.

This brings us to the second thing Aldama gifted himself this summer: A new level of confidence that is accompanied by an undeniably great summer by all Memphis accounts. 

Aldama, rookies lead late comeback as Grizzlies win preseason debut

General manager Zach Kleiman sang his praises at media day. Teammate Dillon Brooks said he was going to surprise people. Coach Taylor Jenkins gave him a vote of confidence, too.

But none of that would have mattered had Aldama not backed it up on the court. Through two preseason games, the Spanish big man is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds per game on 59% shooting. 

“I bought into the plan,” Aldama said. “At summer league we had a lot of hard workouts. It was hard work. I’ve been working on my shot. I’ve been working on defense and physicality, getting stronger. It’s part of the work. I’ve done it before. I’m not doing anything new out there. That’s where I get my confidence from.”

Summer of swole

What matters just as much, however, is making his coaches and teammates believe. 

Statistically, Aldama had a rough rookie season with very limited opportunity. He only appeared in 32 games, started exactly zero of them, and averaged only 4.1 points on 40% shooting. 

But this summer a window of opportunity opened, perhaps wider than many even realize. Jaren Jackson Jr. had foot surgery that will likely force him to miss the first few weeks of the season, and the Grizzlies moved on from Kyle Anderson. 

So, not only do they need a temporary starter, but they also need someone to step up and play in the rotation all season. Aldama is not shy about that subject. 

Herrington: The Grizzlies have job openings in the frontcourt. Here are the candidates.

“I’m a basketball player,” he said. “I want to start. I want to play a lot of minutes. I want to help the team win. I want to have that spot that is open for now.”

It is about as straightforward of an answer as you are going to get from the most mild-mannered player on the team. 

“I prefer speaking on the court,” Aldama said. “I like to work in silence. I’ll say that I trust the work that I have put in. I don’t like talking about it, or really acting like that.”

Grizzlies Insider: Kenneth Lofton Jr.'s life is ‘totally different’ after NBA transition

Aldama believes that by the end of last season he was “miles ahead” of where he started when he entered as a rookie out of Loyola Maryland. Much of his plan this summer, in addition to workouts, was centered around digesting the mistakes he made in his first season and positioning himself to become more successful. 

Most of those lessons come from assistant coach Darko Rajakovic, who voluntarily traveled with Aldama to Spain this summer to continue offseason progress. 

“He’s a hard coach,” Aldama said. “He’s Serbian. I’ve had a few Serbian coaches in my life. So he’s hard, but he’s very smart. He knows the game more than anyone. The way he teaches us is actually a bit ahead of the league, I would say. 

“I think he’s just smart about the way he teaches. He keeps it with the simple stuff. But basketball is actually a really simple game that we sometimes overcomplicate. I think he’s really skilled at identifying the simple things and then making us better at those things.”

Steven Adams, Grizzlies agree to contract extension

One of the top priorities was toughening Aldama up through strength exercises that will allow him to play more physically underneath the basket. The strength and size of the professional game were a big transition from the mid-major Patriot League. 

“Watching back my the film from last year, through open gym, training camp, and then even the first game, you can see (muscle gains) visually,” Aldama said. “But there’s also a change in the way I have to play, which is more physically. That was one of the main points this summer. I need to be a bigger presence on the boards and blocking shots. I’m getting there.”

Part of the starting group

His teammate, Steven Adams, credits Aldama’s success a little differently. 

“He’s playing pretty good,” Adams said. “He shaved his eyebrows so he can see now.”

Grizzlies release updated ‘Statement’ uniforms

Aldama laughed the joke off, noting that Adams has very prominent eyebrows himself. A little bit of hostility is healthy, of course, especially if the second-year forward is to be a starter on opening night. 

“That’s my goal,” Aldama reaffirmed. “I’m excited to get to opening night to see FedExForum roaring and full.”

If he was the favorite entering training camp for that spot, Aldama looks to be in prime position now. 

Another opinion that matters, from Ja Morant: “It’s a credit to him, honestly, for putting in the work, improving this offseason, and coming in ready to play. From voluntary workouts, the sessions that we had, he’s been playing really well. It translating to the games. In the two games we’ve played he’s done so much on the floor. He’s able to move and guard guards, from one through four. He can also play the five and shoot the 3. He brings a lot to the table for us, and he’s been playing really well.”

FedExForum adds standing-only ‘Edge’ as Grizzlies attendance expected to rise

Just don’t expect all of this positive hype to go to his head. Aldama knows that momentum can shift in a hurry – just like on the golf course.

“It’s a long road ahead,” he said. “I can’t get stuck on one game or one action.”