Tim Duncan on LaMarcus Aldridge: 'I'm going to ride his coattails'

At the ripe age of 39, Tim Duncan understands that he's a little too old to carry the San Antonio Spurs as he once did.

Enter: LaMarcus Aldridge.

The Spurs won the Aldridge sweepstakes this summer, adding another superstar to their already star-studded core. Aldridge will line up alongside Duncan to form one of the best frontcourts in the league.

The only question with the pairing concerns how the two stars will divvy up possessions in the paint. Aldridge traits as a high-volume scorer who mostly operates from the high elbow down to the low block, which might create overlap with Duncan's game.

But Duncan - being the ultimate teammate - says he's more than happy to take a backseat to Aldridge.

"I'm not worried about him benefiting my game; I'm going to worry about me benefiting his," Duncan told Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling in regards to Aldridge.

"I'm going to let him do his thing and just see where I can fit in and help. I'm going to ride his coattails and I'm going to push him."

Aldridge, a four-time All-Star, has posted two straight seasons with usage rates topping 29 percent, which makes him something of an oddity for the Spurs' patented well-balanced attack. In the past five seasons, no member of the Spurs has ever posted a season in which they used more than 28 percent of the team's possessions.

However, the Spurs aren't looking to change Aldridge's game. Instead, his addition can actually help spell the workload on ageing veterans like Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, which could translate to a healthier squad come the playoffs.

Again, Duncan doesn't see a clash of styles between Aldridge and the Spurs.

"We've got a bunch of very unselfish guys and guys that know how to play the game, and I think (Aldridge) and (David West) and all those guys kind of fit into that category, so it's not going to be reinventing the wheel."

To that end, the Spurs not only have a wealth of talent, but the league's best coach to patch together a suitable system. Gregg Popovich has guided the Spurs to 16 straight 50-win seasons. Finding ways to maximize talent - especially high-end talent like Aldridge - is what he does best.

"We're going to keep our system the same as we have over the years and plug in new parts and see how it works," Duncan said.