A couple of former Texas Longhorns played nice games in the Association last night. Let’s take a look at the results.

LaMarcus Aldridge – Portland Trailblazers power forward

Lost to Houston Rockets 116-101

Aldridge didn’t have the most efficient game, but he was still effective. It took him 19 shots to pile up 21 points, but as Portland’s franchise player, he’s entitled to take shots at his discretion. One area in which he performed poorly and consequently hurt his team last night was rebounding. This might be Aldridge’s only weakness, and if he can consistently grab eight to 10 boards a night, the Blazers will have a few more possessions to work with.  

Aldridge has been fantastic in Portland’s first four games, posting averages of 24.5 points and 6.7 boards per game. The team's offense relies on the perimeter combo of Aldridge and talented young guard Damian Lillard. These two will have to play well together consistently for this team to have a chance at the playoffs.

Jordan Hamilton — Denver Nuggets small forward

Lost to San Antonio Spurs 102-94 

The former sharpshooting swingman for the Longhorns hasn’t seen much court time so far. The Nuggets, 0-2 coming into this game, are not clicking offensively as many people had expected them to. New head coach Brian Shaw decided to shake things up and give Hamilton a little more playing time last night.  

Hamilton had a successful game in his 23 minutes against the Spurs. He was efficient in shooting the ball, totaling 11 points on six shots, including three for three from beyond the arc. He also did a nice job of limiting guard Danny Green to just four points in 24 minutes. The man he often switched off on, Kawhi Leonard, needed 14 shots to score 14 points.  

If Shaw can get Hamilton more consistent minutes, he can be a nice bundle of instant offense off the bench.