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Santi Aldama · For reasons unbeknownst to anyone involved, decades of sports history attests that sometimes, commentators innocently speaking positively about a player can have similar impacts as that of a lockdown defense. Faced with overcoming both the Phoenix Suns’ resistance and the famously-named “announcer’s jinx” at once, Santi Aldama attacked the task with flair and innovation. Mere minutes removed from earning praise as one of the NBA’s elite off-the-bench scorers — No. 8 in PPG among reserves (min. 20 GP) — Aldama opts for deception, freeing himself of Bol Bol’s 7-foot-3 frame with a pump fake. Allowing creativity to completely take over, Aldama outhangs Royce O’Neale, using an acrobatic, switch-hand layup through traffic to continue sending his nationally-televised, opening-quarter statement. With plenty of other flashy around-the-rim finishes to come, the Memphis Grizzlies’ depth and execution became too much for Phoenix to overcome. Buoyed by an 11-point first frame, Aldama finished with a businesslike 14 points (on 5-of-10 shooting), alongside five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and four 3-pointers on February 11, 2025. · State of Mint