Magic find defensive versatility
Former coach predicts Aminu will be perfect fit in Clifford’s system
Former ESPN college basketball analyst Dino Claudio sees a bright future in Orlando for soon-to-be Magic forward AlFarouq Aminu.
Claudio, now an assistant at Louisville, recruited Aminu in high school and coached him during Aminu’s two seasons at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons won 44 games during Aminu’s time with the program.
Now a veteran of nine NBA seasons, Aminu is far from his playing days at Wake Forest. But his demeanor and attitude remain unchanged, Claudio said.
“I just really loved the kid,” Claudio said Monday in a telephone interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “Coachable, did whatever you asked.”
And he expects that will continue in Orlando.
The Magic reportedly agreed Sunday to sign Aminu to a threeyear contract.
After hearing news of his former player’s agreement with the Magic, Claudio sent a text to Aminu. His message?
“I just told him [Magic] Coach [Steve] Clifford’s a really good guy and a really good coach,” Claudio said.
Claudio, who has owned a home in Charlotte, N.C., for the past 10 years, used to attend practices when Clifford was coaching the Hornets. Claudio said Clifford’s philosophy that emphasizes defense and rebounding
plays to Aminu’s strengths.
“He’ll be terrific under Steve Clifford. I really believe that,” Claudio said.
With a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Aminu can defend against multiple positions. Claudio sees him being able to guard every position except post players. Forwards Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon give the Magic the ability to switch on defense without getting pulled into mismatches. Aminu should only increase that defensive versatility for the Magic. He could guard Rockets guard James Harden one night, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Paul George the next, and then former Warriors forward Kevin Durant the next.
“You’ll see him all year from guarding [James] Harden to guarding power forwards to guarding KD [Kevin Durant]. He can guard all of those guys because of his length, [and] his lateral quickness, and I think that will be a huge asset for Steve,” Claudio said. “He’ll fit in. Whatever Steve wants him to do [defensively], he’ll do.’
Aminu’s rebounding numbers have been solid the past three seasons at 7.4, 7.6 and 7.5 per game. He possesses what Claudio calls a “huge rebounding range.”
“That’s one of their needs, boy he really checks that box off,” Claudio said.
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Aminu spent the past four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Last season he started 81 games and averaged 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 34.3 percent from the 3-point line.
When Trail Blazers guards Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum drew help after beating their defenders off the dribble, Aminu was one of the beneficiaries of floating to the 3-point line for spot-up jump shots on kick-out passes.
In the 2017-18 season, Aminu hit nearly two 3-pointers per game and shot 36.9 percent from long range. That would have made him the Magic’s third-best 3-point shooter last season.
“He wasn’t a 3-point shooter for me, but he got better at that aspect of the game while he was in Portland,” Claudio said.
Aminu also has ties to the Southeast. He grew up in Atlanta and attended high school there. His older brother, Alade Aminu, played at Georgia Tech.
Aminu also hold dual citizenship with the U.S. and Nigeria. His father, Aboubakar Aminu, attended Morehouse College in Atlanta after coming to the U.S. from Nigeria as an 18-year-old.
Aminu’s mother, Anjirlic, is a U.S. native who went to Georgia State.
Al-Farouq’s nickname is “Chief.” It is a derivative of his surname, Oloyed, which means “The chief has arrived” in Nigerian — a point not lost on Magic shooting guard Evan Fournier.
“Yessssir welcome Chief !!!!! ” Fournier tweeted on Sunday.