My case for why the Warriors should draft Al-Farouq Aminu

I think that you may have noticed, recently, that Aminu has really gone high on my board. Guess what, you're right, he has.

First of all, feel free to disagree. There are plenty of good players in this draft, including Georgetown PF Greg Monroe or Syracuse SF Wes Johnson.

But here is why I think Aminu has the potential to be better than them:

Al-Farouq Aminu (Born September 21, 1990)

One of the biggest prospects in the draft, Aminu stands at 6-8 with an insane 7-4 wingspan. He has a decent amount of body fat (considering DeMarcus Cousins is already at 16.4g of body fat.), has a decent weight, and his standing reach is higher than most 4's, let alone 3's  in the NBA. He has an excellent vertical leap and is one of the best freak athletes in the draft (think John Wall and Derrick Favors).

He has a very rare quality in lateral quickness in that he can step out and guard guards. Not to mention that because he has the defensive fundamentals and the commitment on the defensive end, Aminu could easily turn out to be the best prospect in this draft. Aminu's ability to play post defense with his solid frame and his ability to step out and guard multiple positions can make him a defensive stopper, if not one of the best in the league.

So who do I think Aminu could be like? I think that he could become a beggar's Scottie Pippen.

Pippen was known for being one of the best, if not the best defensive player of all time. Why?

He had the wingspan, lateral quickness, size, and athleticism to stay with anyone. I believe Aminu has the same qualities.

Check out this video of Pippen:

Now, I'm not trying to say Aminu will be the next Pippen. When it's all said and done, it won't even be close. But Aminu, nonetheless, I believe, can be a perennial contender for DPOY.

One thing that may strike you about Aminu is that he is painfully shy; take a listen:

Sure, it may not seem that he's all that impressive considering that, but now look at this video, and convince me it impresses you any more:

Irony aside, Tyreke also has the potential to become a good defender, standing 6-6 with a wingspan of 7-0. Aminu, however, is still better on the defensive end.

Check out Ridiculous Upside on Al-Farouq Aminu

Here are some of the basic things they talk about:

He plays hard, stays tough on defense, alters shots, grabs rebounds and gets himself in a position for an easy put back. He's spectacular at tipping the ball to himself when it's in the air and using his length to his advantage. He was arguably the best offensive rebounder in the country last year.

Sounds exactly like the kind of guy the Warriors need, to me.

So, what's the one knock I have on Aminu?

His coordination, offensively, isn't great. He can shoot the ball well and can put the ball on the floor, but it's ill-advised for now. Aminu isn't a project my any means, but he's only. It's going to take him a year or two to develop the handles and passing ability he needs to play the 3 for the Warriors.

He is an extremely long player who still has time to put on weight and strength and his body has the frame to support that. If he continues to work on his handles and his shot, or he decides to bang down low more often, he can be a very solid pro for a long time. But he needs to decide which role he wants to play, and hopefully his next coach will establish that role early on.

Keywords: coach;establish; role.

Don Nelson isn't going to have a set position for Aminu. Our roster is the most scattered in the NBA.

Compare our starting 5 to the starting 5 or Sacramanto next year, considering no trades are made.

PG: Stephen Curry (6-3)/Monta Ellis                                                      Tyreke Evans(6-6)/Beno Udrih

SG: Monta Ellis(6-3)//Reggie Williams(6-5)                                     Beno Udrih(6-3)/Tyreke Evans/Ime Udoka(6-5)

SF: Corey Maggette(6-6)/Kelenna Azubuike(6-5) Donte Greene(6-10)/Omri Casspi(6-9)

PF: Brandan Wright(6-10)/Anthony Randolph(6-11)  Carl Landry(6-9)/Spencer Hawes(6-11)/Jason Thompson

C; Andris Biedrins(6-11)                                                                       Jason Thompson(6-10)/Spencer Hawes

TOT inches:                                                                                              TOT inches:

77.91                                                                                                          79.85

According to an article by Hardwood Paroxysm, The Kings are the biggest team in the NBA and the Warriors are the smallest. What else does this mean? The Warriors have the most inconsistent lineup in the NBA. The Kings have the most established lineup in the NBA. Aminu won't play anything but the 3 unless he grows a couple inches, for the Kings. On the Warriors, Aminu would probably play the 5 in stretches.

Also, Aminu, with his game, would be excellent next to a slashing PG. Think Tyreke Evans. Aminu can be a very good player on both ends of the floor, but I think that if he plays with Evans, you'll really see his game expand. Although, I don't think playing with Curry, who can slash and shoot, would be a bad idea at all.

Curry can slash and shoot, not to mention distribute and run the fastbreak extraordinarily well, something Tyreke can only do to an extent. Curry doesn't push the ball as much as Tyreke, though (although everyone else on the Warriors pushed the ball as well.) I think the fact that the Kings are an established team with established players benefited a player like Tyreke and will benefit a player like Aminu. However, Curry may be more fun to play with, you may or may not get more touches, and you will probably be involved in the pick and roll a lot more, something I think would be very. very useful from the 3 spot.

So, we know Aminu is established as an defensive player, let's look at his offense, according to DraftExpress.com:

Offensively, it’s still difficult to describe Aminu as being an overly skilled player. Although capable of beating his defender off the dribble and getting to the basket in a straight line thanks to his quick first step and tremendously long strides, his ball-skills are still fairly rudimentary. He often loses the ball or is called for traveling immediately upon making his initial move, and really struggles to change directions or pull-up off the dribble if a defender rotates into the lane. His turnover rate (3.7 per-40p) is, as you would expect, extremely high in turn, and his 2-point percentage (50%) is a bit lower than you might expect.

Aminu, basically, is a physical specimen. But he needs to become more skilled, something that he has time to develop.

So, how will he play in an up-and-down style?

The incredibly impressive manner in which he finishes in transition (often in highlight reel fashion) leaves a lot of room for optimism in this regard, though. He does manage to draw quite a few fouls thanks to his sheer athleticism and aggressiveness, which is obviously a big plus.

 

Where Aminu is currently at his best is in transition and crashing the offensive glass. His ability to go out of his area and come up with loose balls is truly impressive, as he seems to excellent timing running to the front of the rim with great purpose, as well as an outstanding second and third jump he utilizes to simply outquick opponents around the rim. His fantastic wingspan obviously helps a great deal here, as does the aggressiveness he shows trying to come up with extra possessions.

So, what about post play?

Aminu appears to have made some strides in the post, seeing nearly twice as many possessions with his back to the basket as he did last season, and finding solid results in turn. He’s making more of a commitment to use his body to carve out space in the paint, and has terrific extension on his jump-hook to get his shot off cleanly. As hisframe continues to fill out and his footwork improves, this could become a major weapon down the road.

Another reason to find Aminu valuable is that he excells in pick and roll play, especially defensively.

Unlike on the offensive end, he is equally effective as a small forward or power forward, and is versatile enough to switch onto pretty much any type of player in pick and roll situations, making him extremely valuable in today’s NBA. Oftentimes Wake Forest’s coaching staff elects to put him on the opposing team’s point guard for short stretches, something he’s capable of doing thanks to his terrific length and lateral quickness. Even when he gets beat off the dribble, he’s often athletic enough to just recover and come up with a big block from behind.

So, while his jumpshot is a work in progress, Aminu can surely be the legit defensive stopper the Warriors need on the perimeter. And at 19 years of age, Aminu has plenty of time to work on his unpolished offense.

I'll finish with a video of Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu displaying his monsterous wings his big body, and his freakish athleticism.

Also, here is a vid of Georgie Tech @ Wake Forest

Al Farouq Aminu is #1 in the video.