Photo: Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

Forward LaMarcus Aldridge’s understated leadership style doesn’t draw much attention from fans or the media, but that doesn’t mean it has escaped the notice of the Spurs coaching staff.

Two days after assistant coach Becky Hammon said Aldridge has “taken ownership in leading the team,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich picked up on the theme, saying Aldridge has “done a good job” in that area during training camp.

“He leads more like Timmy (Duncan) does, just by example,” Popovich said. “He works hard in practice. He’s communicating with players really well. He’s communicating with coaches and taking pride in being here and in being a leader in the group. He’s not a towel waver or anything like that. He does it by example. He’s done a good job.”

That’s a positive development for the Spurs, considering Aldridge entered camp surrounded by questions about whether he would have a good attitude after the Spurs tried to trade him during the offseason.

Aldridge has tried to give the younger players direction and to help ease newcomer Rudy Gay’s transition to the team.

“I’m not a rah-rah guy,” Aldridge said. “I think people know that about me from my Portland days. I’m just trying to make sure guys are in the right spot, trying to teach guys how to play defense and know the principles and help guys stay positive and things like that.”

Technology talk: Popovich offered some thoughts on the subject of technology when a reporter asked him if upgrades to smartphones and other possible distractions have hampered the ability of coaches to build team cohesion in the locker room.

“I don’t worry about technology in that regard, as far as team building,” he said. “I worry about it in the world. I was listening to a TED Talk (on TED.com) the other night. I can’t remember the individual, but he was talking about pulling for more human upgrade rather than technological upgrade. He was saying we have enough technological upgrade, and it doesn’t do anything. He said we need an upgrade as human beings. He was talking about what that means is concern and empathy and love and all that kind of thing. Until we get that upgrade, we are doomed for all this tribalism and everything we are doing now, and dependence on all these things (such as smartphones) doesn’t do anything to help us as a race, as a human race. I’ll stop there.”

Back to work: After sitting in the stands the past two preseason games while his assistants handled the coaching duties, Popovich returned to the bench Tuesday night for the Spurs’ contest against Orlando.

“Nobody else wanted to do it,” Popovich joked. “They said, ‘We already did it, so you got to do it.’ So I have to get up twice a quarter for timeouts and then sit back down.”

More time in Greece for draft pick: Nikola Milutinov, the Spurs’ first-round pick in 2015 and the No. 26 pick overall, has agreed to a contract extension with the Greek club Olympiacos.

The deal lasts through 2020, the website Sportando.com reported.

Milutinov, 22, is a 6-foot-11, 220-pound Serbian.

torsborn@express-news.net

Twitter: @tom_orsborn