Trail Blazers' injuries force LaMarcus Aldridge into role of scoring leader

For days, coach Nate McMillan has stressed that it will take a collective effort for the Trail Blazers to succeed as Brandon Roy rests his ailing left knee. But perhaps no player is shouldering a greater load than starting power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who has become the team's No. 1 scoring option in Roy's absence.

"LaMarcus now ... really becomes The Guy for us," McMillan said. "It's really hard to play without him being on the floor."

So what kind of offensive production is McMillan looking for from Aldridge? Twenty points a night? Twenty five?

"I would say 30," McMillan said smiling, half-joking and half-serious.

When informed about McMillan's wish for 30 after the Blazers' win over the Nuggets, Aldridge's eyes grew large and he flashed a sly smile.

"Oh, wow," he said, laughing. "I just want to win. Some nights it might be 20. Some nights it might be 12. As long as we win the game, that's fine with me."

Joking aside, Aldridge said he's poised to take on more responsibility. After the Blazers suffered their second consecutive first-round defeat in the Western Conference playoffs last season, Aldridge retreated to his home in Dallas and contemplated ways to improve.

He spent the offseason working with a personal trainer, focusing on his core body to become stronger and more powerful.

"I feel like I need to be that guy, a go-to guy, a guy we play through," Aldridge said. "After the playoffs last year, my whole motivation was to make myself better, to get ready for these moments and I think I'm doing good so far."

Aldridge admits that he's not yet that player, but he feels as if he's on the cusp. The Blazers have long since worked through Aldridge at the beginning of games and at the start of second halves, setting an "inside-out" tone that McMillan prefers. But the fourth quarters have belonged to Brandon Roy over the years.

The next step of progress for Aldridge is developing into a dependable fourth-quarter player.

"I'm still trying to grow and I think my fourth quarter decisions have to get better," Aldridge said. "I want to be more dominant in the fourth quarter, be more smart and I think just need to make better plays in the fourth quarter. That's where I'm trying to grow right now."

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