Santi Aldama spent the first 15 games of the 2025-26 season carving out a reputation as a highly disruptive, multi-faceted bench weapon. During the `10/30 vs PHX` matchup, he racked up a massive +16.6 Impact score by crashing the glass for 10 rebounds and keeping the offense flowing with 5 assists alongside his 14 points. He wasn't immune to clunkers, however, as seen on `11/01 vs LAL`. Despite grabbing another 10 boards in that contest, his brutal 3-for-12 shooting dragged his overall Impact down to a disappointing -2.9. On the flip side, he occasionally scored well but failed to truly move the needle, like on `11/08 vs DAL`. He poured in 16 points that night, but his Impact plummeted to a mediocre +1.5 because he abandoned the dirty work and secured a mere two rebounds. When Aldama embraces his role as a gritty connector rather than just a volume shooter, his value to the second unit skyrockets.

Santi Aldama’s mid-season stretch was defined by extreme volatility, oscillating wildly between dominant scoring explosions and erratic shooting nights as he shuffled between the starting lineup and the bench. When his jumper fell, he looked unstoppable. Look no further than his eruption on 12/21 vs WAS, where he poured in 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. His staggering +35.1 Impact score in that contest was driven by elite shot-making, as he drained 15 of his 23 attempts to completely bury Washington. Yet, he also found ways to contribute when his touch vanished. On 11/25 vs DEN, he bricked all five of his three-pointers and shot a miserable 5-of-16 from the floor, but still managed a +4.1 Impact score. He salvaged his nightly value by crashing the glass for six rebounds and dishing out six assists, providing crucial non-scoring hustle to keep the offense humming. Ultimately, he must level out these wild swings to become a truly reliable rotation anchor.