Aldridge: "I kind of took that personally"

The stat line was impressive: 24 points, 15 rebounds, 11 of 19 from the field.

But was LaMarcus Aldridge playing like a true post player Wednesday vs. the Hornets? Most of the points, after all, came on jumpers, and “why isn’t he going inside?” was a common question.

Aldridge wasn’t too thrilled with that.

“I kind of took that personally,” he said. “I think after last game, everybody was saying I was taking a lot of jump shots, but if you look at it, every time I went to the paint, they doubled me. So would you rather me score, or rather just pass it every time?”

Blazers coach Nate McMillan said Friday that the team as a whole needs to focus more on getting to the paint and not settling for shots along the perimeter. He didn’t single out Aldridge, however.

Plus, Aldridge has been almost automatic from 20 feet and in this year, and doesn’t want to pass up those opportunities for its own sake.

“People are always going to say negative things, but I feel like I can’t limit myself game-wise,” Aldridge said. “If they’re giving me a jump shot that I can make, why not take it? I think this season, I’ve definitely done a great job of doing both (shooting and getting inside).”