| Alade Aminu |
|---|
 | | STRENGTHS: |
|---|
| - Pick and roll play | | - Ability to put ball on floor | | - Ability to contest shots | | - Potential | | - Young for class | | - Ability to finish around basket | | - Ability to run the floor | | - Athleticism | | - Wingspan | | WEAKNESSES: |
|---|
| - Defensive fundamentals | | - Defensive Post Presence | | - Basketball IQ? | | - Doesn't always know limitations | | - Focus | | - Lacks significant polish | | - Backup/Fringe Starter? | | - Ability to finish through contact | | - Strength | | - Inconsistent shooter | | Top 25s - Full List |
|---|
|
|
| Team: Georgia Tech |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Salary | Misc |
|---|
H: 6' 10"
W: 230 lbs
Bday: 09/14/1987
(22 Years Old)
|
Current: PF
NBA: PF
Possible:
| Round: 2 Pick: 28 in 2009 Mock Draft
RSCI: 79
| Agent: Lewis Tucker
|
High School: Stephenson HS
Hometown: Stone Mountain, GA
|
|
| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
|
|  Portsmouth Invitational Tournament: All-First Team
April 14, 2009
The Georgia Tech big man stood out from the moment he stepped out on the court in his very first game, as it immediately became clear that few if any prospects in attendance share his upside.
Standing 6-10 (possibly taller), with a tremendous 7-3 wingspan and a frame that should be able to put on plenty of weight over the next few years, Aminu obviously has great physical attributes. He’s also a very good athlete as well, running the floor like a deer and very much capable of getting off the floor to finish around the rim or alter shots on the defensive end. He was after all, a track star in high school, competing in the triple jump, high jump, and 200-yard dash.
Aminu didn’t play a very big role this season at Georgia Tech—in fact, he came off the bench for the team’s final 12 games. The fact that he struggled to make an impact on a team that finished last in the ACC and posted a 12-19 record is a bit of a red flag, but as we learned the hard last year with the way Anthony Morrow panned out, players from this team need to be looked at a more in-depth, especially ones who are only 21 years old.
Comparing the way Aminu played at Portsmouth with what we can now see from his film at Georgia Tech reveals a pretty stark contrast—it doesn’t seem like he was utilized very well at all in college from what we can tell. Aminu was an absolute devastating force as a pick and roll finisher for his Norfolk Naval Shipyard team—thanks to his tremendous combination of size, length, terrific hands and excellent mobility. At Georgia Tech he was barely used in this fashion at all—just 4.3% of his offensive possessions came on the pick and roll. They looked incredibly disorganized in the film we took in, with no point guard, no system, and very little ball-movement. It appeared that Aminu often was asked to play very far from the basket, and pretty much all of his shots were opportunities that he was forced to create on his own.
In these types of situations, Aminu’s weaknesses became painfully obvious. Despite possessing an excellent frame, he lacks a great deal of strength at the moment, which makes it very difficult for him to comfortably operate on the court against top competition. He struggles to establish deep position in the post, and his footwork is very raw. He has a difficult time finishing through contact as well, again lacking strength but also some toughness, seemingly avoiding contact on occasion. He doesn’t seem to know what his limitations are at the moment, making him fairly turnover prone, and contributing to his extremely poor passing ratio—garnering an assist on just 6% of his possessions.
Aminu has above average ball-handling skills for a player his size, but he’s still a ways away from knowing how to utilize them at the moment. At times you’ll see him look very good putting the ball on the floor from the high post with his long strides, sometimes even mixing in a crafty spin move, but this part of his game remains underdeveloped, even if he shows nice potential with it. Aminu’s jump-shot is not consistent—as evidenced by the 59% he shot from the line, but there is again stuff to work with here, as his mechanics are sound and he appears to have decent touch.
Defensively, Aminu is productive from a statistical standpoint—he’s a solid (although not incredible) rebounder and comes up with plenty of blocks and steals thanks to his excellent size, length and athleticism—but here too he has a ways to go—being somewhat stuck between the power forward and center positions. He lacks the strength and toughness to defend some of the more burly big men he’ll encounter from time to time, getting pushed around and giving up deep position in the post, while he’s not fluid or fundamentally sound enough to guard face-up power forwards on the perimeter either, looking very upright trying to move his feet against them. He tends to lose his focus fairly easily and doesn’t always seem to be playing as hard as he could—becoming smarter and more mature are things he definitely needs to work on.
Aminu may not be very close to being a legit rotation player in the NBA at this point, but he shows outstanding potential to develop into one down the road. Considering that he’s the same age as many juniors in this draft (he won’t turn 22 until September), it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team decide to take a flyer on him somewhere in the second round, even if being glued to an NBA bench would probably not be the best thing for his development.
 [Read Full Article]
Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Day Three
April 11, 2009
Alade Aminu continued to impress by scoring 13 points along with 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, showing very smooth athleticism for a player his size. Aminu excels at setting screens on the perimeter and quickly rolling to the basket to get open for the score, taking advantage of his mobility and good hands. He also has a nice right-handed hook shot on the block and is pretty patient not to force the issue, resetting to the perimeter when nothing is there. When motivated, he runs the floor exceptionally well, often beating his man down the court. On the defensive end, Aminu made a few blocks rotating over in the lane, but his overall defensive game could still use some work in awareness, toughness and fundamentals. Still, he’s clearly one of the more upside-laden players at this tournament, and has likely helped his stock just by being out on the floor.
[Read Full Article]
| |
