Al-Farouq Aminu’s Improved Play Leading Portland To Success
Once labeled ‘overpaid,’ Al-Farouq Aminu is proving he can be a reliable offensive threat.
At the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign, the Portland Trail Blazers had lost four of five starters and were facing some exponential roster turnover. This was so much the case that league pundits, betting sharks and fans around the league assumed they were doomed for the upcoming season.
With a projection of winning anywhere between 25 and 30 games, the Blazers have not only over-achieved, winning 40 games already, but they’ve also found some clear reliability among multiple starters. One of the biggest surprises, besides Portland’s backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, has been Al-Farouq Aminu.
A free-agent signing over the summer, Aminu has been at the forefront of the Blazers’ recent success. His size, ability to defend virtually every position besides center and his newfound knack for hitting three-pointers makes him one of the most valuable forwards in the NBA.
But this wasn’t always the case with Aminu. This summer, in fact, people were questioning the amount of money that Al-Farouq got. See the tweets below after Aminu was signed.
That's the impact of Aminu deal: not that he got overpaid (he did), but that now everyone else will point to that & say "im better than HIM"
— Chillin in my Bacta (@DarthAmin) July 1, 2015
When a 2nd/3rd tier free agent gets scooped up as quick as Aminu did you know he got overpaid. Good for him tho. He was prob shocked @ offer
— MICHAEL LARK (@themichaellark) July 1, 2015
If Portland plays Aminu at the 4, I think the signing is a good one. At 3, he just can't score well enough. Needs to bulk up a bit still tho
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) July 1, 2015
Portland has officially threw in the white towel with signing Aminu for 30 mil
— Dimitri (@NoLookTimeout) July 1, 2015
Portland too desperate with that signing. Aminu would have signed that deal if meant playing for the sixers
— Hank (@hflow12) July 1, 2015
The grand total of players who signed elsewhere: Carroll (overpaid, better situation), Green (never had a chance), Aminu (way overpaid).
— Ben Rosales (@brosales12) July 1, 2015
As I dug deeper into why he’s become so valuable, so fast, it’s the aftermath of what occurs when a player can make the three-point shot. Giving you his most valuable attribute; the versatility and athleticism to be able to draw defenders out, opening up the floor for other offensive threats and keeping an opposing team staying true on defense.
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While his calling card was defense, getting that offensive game and specifically the three-point shot going is what makes him especially dangerous.
Specifically, in his career night on Thursday against the Celtics, we witnessed him draw defenders out and be able to beat them on the dribble, either to the rim or to assist another Blazer. See in the video where Amir Johnson gets beat to the bucket after attempting to close out Aminu on the three-point line.
It’s invaluable if you’re the Blazers, to have him as your third or forth option because it gets you closer to a starting-five in which you have to defend every player, forcing zones and other defensive options.
“Chief,” as they like to call him, is becoming a very viable offensive option, whereas in years past he hadn’t been. And while maybe it’s just the case of a player getting more opportunities and playing time, I think it’s much greater than that.
I attribute a lot to Terry Stotts and the Blazers’ coaching staff for getting him the opportunities, but also Al-Farouq himself, because he’s worked extremely hard to develop his offensive repertoire, including the three-point shot and vision.
The combination of those two, accompanied with Al-Farouq knowing his role, understanding what this team needs and being able to stay confident, has made him into the 3-and-D player that teams in the modern NBA thrive with.
Already almost doubling his point total from last year, Aminu has also doubled his three-point shot attempts while increasing his three-point shootingby 10 percent. Prior to this season, he had made 109 three-pointers in his career. On Saturday against the Miami Heat, he had already totaled 116 this season alone.
Once as bad as 21 percent from behind the arc during his 2012-13 season with the Pelicans, Chief is now silently hitting 35.2 percent from three. And while that isn’t anything spectacular, it is something to prepare and look for if you’re the opposing team.
If you think his success was expected because of the minutes increase, think again. He’s played 55 minutes more than his 2013-14 campaign and just 44 minutes more over his 2012-13 campaign. So it isn’t just the case of being on a team that needs him, it’s the compounding effect of having good coaching, willingness to get better, and being in the right place at the right time.
Before we use the word overpaid, we need to take into account age, team fit, coaching, and situation before we can began to criticize a signing. I was one who indeed questioned the signing, but I think we can all see how great it’s worked out. Once overpaid, Aminu is set to make an average of $7.5 million for the next three seasons.
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As it stands, that would be just more than the average player’s salary after the massive increase in the NBA’s salary cap.