According to the Associated Press, Wake Forest forward Al-Farouq Aminu has hired an agent and declared himself eligible for this summer’s NBA draft. The 19-year old Aminu averaged 15.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game over the course of his final season with the Demon Deacons. In the NCAA tournament, Aminu getting himself into early foul trouble was one of the many factors that led to Kentucky blowing out Wake Forest by 30 points in the second round.
Aminu is an athletic, lanky, and somewhat raw combo forward who is projected to go in the top 10 thanks to his physical gifts and ability to impact a game without needing the ball in his hands. Aminu is far from a finished product on the offensive end of the floor. He averaged only 1.3 assists per game against 3.2 turnovers per game, and took two threes per game despite only making 27.3% of them.
The move to the NBA could actually help Aminu tremendously, as he won’t be asked to be a primary offensive option in the pros and would be allowed to play to his strengths. He could turn himself into a more well-rounded offensive player down the road, but Josh Smith has shown that trying to do less can sometimes be as effective as learning to do more at the NBA level. If Aminu comes into the NBA with the understanding he’s a role player, he’ll make an immediate impact. If Aminu fixes the holes in his offensive game, he could become a star. The only way for Aminu to fail in the NBA is if he tries to play like a star without putting in the necessary work on his all-around game first.
