NBA Draft Insider

Selected No. 8 by the Los Angeles Clippers

College: Wake Forest
Birthday: 9/21/90
NBA Position: Small Forward
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-9
Wt: 215
Hometown: Norcross, GA
High School: Norcross
NBA Comparison: Andrei Kirilenko/Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Strengths: A descendant of Nigerian kings, Al-Farouq Aminu (which means “The Chief has arrived) is an athletic forward who excels in the transition game. Along with him being a strong finisher, he also has an effective mid-range game, but can handle the ball well enough to make plays happen in the half court offense. His strength continues to be underrated on the defensive end, even with a large wingspan which allows for him to easily get steals and blocks. His footwork around the basket is exceptional, and being a post player in high school has given him the ability to post smaller forwards up around the hoop.

Weaknesses: Free throw percentage and passing are two areas Aminu must improve upon in order to become a more effective basketball player. Although he can handle the ball better than most 6-foot-9 players, he can still benefit from additional ball-handling drills. He will most likely be looked at to take more shots, which means he will have to become more aggressive on offense end of the ball. His lack of upper body strength will need to improve to allow for him to attack the basket on the next level.

Ty’mon Norman – 2/16/2010