Nets' LaMarcus Aldridge still feels effects of COVID-19 despite clearing health and safety protocol, negative test
INDIANAPOLIS — Here’s what six-time All-Star and Nets starting center LaMarcus Aldridge did while in quarantine with COVID-19.
Nothing.
After contracting the virus for the first time in mid-December, Aldridge, in his own words, said he had “all the symptoms.” And he certainly did not feel like a professional athlete in tip-top shape.
“I didn’t do anything [while in quarantine],” Aldridge said ahead of the Nets’ matchup against the Pacers. “I was tired. I was not feeling well, headaches, body aches, so I didn’t do anything. So I’m still trying to find myself right now.”
Those symptoms, he said, are still present, even though he has cleared the health and safety protocols and tested negative for COVID-19.
“Even though you’re through it, you don’t go back to feeling normal,” a candid Aldridge said at shootaround Wednesday morning. “It was my first time getting it, so I think it definitely hit me harder than most. So I’m still trying to get my legs back, get my wind back, and just feel normal again.”
In his first two games since clearing the protocols, Aldridge somehow put up 22 points and 17 rebounds but shot just 9 of 23 (39%) from the field. In the 25 previous games he played this season, Aldridge shot 57% from the field.
The veteran big man is waging an ongoing war against COVID-19-related symptoms.
Yet, there he was, set to play his third game since spending two weeks in the health and safety protocols — an irregularity since the NBA’s maximum at the time was 10 days. For the veteran big man averaging about 14 points and 6 rebounds per game, the time off the court was frustrating.
“Not working out, not getting in the gym. You know, just not just moving around,” he said. “Even those two games I played, just don’t feel right. You don’t feel like you’re clear-headed yet, like you’re winded and your legs are still tired. So it’s a process coming back from that stuff.”
One positive note? Aldridge’s battle with COVID-19 had no impact on his heart. He was diagnosed with Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome in his rookie year, a condition the Mayo Clinic describes as: having an extra electrical pathway in the heart’s upper and lower chambers that leads to periods of rapid heart rate.
Aldridge said despite his positive tests and his symptoms, his heart is still intact.
“I did all my testing to be cleared,” he said. “Everything came back normal. So I’m good to go.”
Aldridge also battled right foot soreness and missed the Nets’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
“I feel better,” he said. “It was just a little tweak, and I’m better now.”
Nets head coach Steve Nash said he and the staff will monitor their veteran big man, but he’s cleared all the benchmarks they had for his return. Aldridge wants to play.
“He has played, he has trained, and he’s looked, for the most part, able to withstand the demands of the game,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “So we’re always here, we’re always ready to listen to how he feels on the day-to-day, but overall we feel comfortable that he can handle the output as he works through all that stuff.”
And Nash, for now, does not plan to put him on a minutes restriction if Aldridge does not want one.
“That’s not something that he’s talked to us about or asked us for, so I think we wait until he says, ‘Hey, I don’t feel it,’ and then we can adapt,” Nash said. “But right now, he hasn’t told us that or that he needs shorter bursts. We always keep an eye on guys and make sure they feel good and comfortable and in a safe spot to continue to play sustained long-term.”
