LaMarcus Aldridge chose winning, above all else, when he decided two summers ago to play for the San Antonio Spurs. As the most coveted free agent at the time, Aldridge could’ve gone somewhere else – or stayed in Portland – where he would’ve likely been afforded an offense catered to him and more pampering and adulation. Few situations, however, would’ve placed Aldridge in a better position to possibly win a ring.

Going from a leading man to part of a super ensemble comes with its challenges, but Aldridge continues to adjust and has finally settled into a role in a share-the-wealth system that is foreign to what he had known his first nine seasons in the league. That championship still eludes him after the first season in his home-state return ended with a second-round thud. But the Spurs have been racking up regular-season wins at a record-breaking pace for the storied franchise, going 108-28 since luring Aldridge in a rare free-agent coup.

Aldridge has done his part, sacrificing the chase for gaudy statistics to be part of a machine that again has the league’s second-best record. That success warrants greater consideration for Kawhi Leonard as MVP but certainly doesn’t come on the back of a one-man show. And as one of four players who have made an All-NBA team in each of the past three seasons – along with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Chris Paul – Aldridge would’ve liked for his reputation as a five-time All-Star, along with the Spurs’ stellar record, to have led to him joining Leonard in New Orleans for the All-Star Game.

“I’m older, so I’m not going to come home and be mad or anything,” Aldridge, 31, told The Vertical. “But I do think that it was wrong for Golden State to have four [All-Stars] and we’re a few games behind and only have one. It is what it is. I’m in this position and I’m going to enjoy my break and just come back fresh.”

Aldridge will use his rare in-season vacation relaxing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where he can clear his mind. When he gets back to work, the focus will be on completing what he came to accomplish in San Antonio and finding a way to not let self-doubt or second-guessing impede his progress.

Kawhi Leonard, left, and Aldridge are quite a tandem. (AP) More

Since he wasn’t a homegrown talent indoctrinated into Gregg Popovich’s demanding ways from the start, a journeyman seeking to restore his standing in the league, or a past-his-prime ring-chaser, Aldridge had arguably the most difficult adjustment of any player welcomed into the Spurs franchise. Aldridge was an established star, trained to get buckets on call, surrounded by teammates looking to get him the ball rather than working for the best shot within the offense. For many years in Portland – particularly the final five seasons when he averaged at least 20 points per game – Aldridge, more often than not, represented the best shot.

In his first season in San Antonio, Aldridge struggled trying to find the balance between blending and being assertive. Popovich and Aldridge’s teammates urged him to stop being gun-shy and to demand the ball more, but the confusion led Aldridge to too often get in his own head – a place Tim Duncan encouraged him to avoid lest he overthink. Aldridge still has his moments now, but not nearly as frequently.

“It was very difficult, because I couldn’t be the guy that I’ve been my whole career. It was very difficult to adjust from being who I was to who I am now,” Aldridge told The Vertical. “Now, I’m fine. I do what I’m asked to do. I rebound, take shots every now and then. I’m not really asked to be that guy that I was, so I just the play the role that they want me to play. Play defense. Do pick-and-pop when they need it, and other than that just play off Kawhi.”

Leonard’s ascension from being a star reluctant to step on toes to a top-10 scorer has been paramount to that success, especially with Duncan off detailing cars and being a doting father in his post-basketball career. But so has a selfless, supportive culture in which players take turns having their nights instead of wrestling for shots.

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