Perhaps the Mavs’ most unassuming player made one of the biggest impacts in last night’s win against the Jazz.
Al-Farouq Aminu finished with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds in just 20 minutes off the bench against Utah, the fewest its ever taken the fifth-year forward to reach either mark in a single game.
What was most striking about his double-double, however, is that Aminu played a majority of his minutes at the power forward spot, where he was battling stronger and taller players like Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and Rudy Gobert for position. The 6-foot-9, 215-pound (and humble) Aminu said after the game that he has no secret when it comes to finding the ball, although his career rebound percentage numbers would suggest otherwise.
“I think (rebounding) is just a lot of luck, as far as it if bounces in your vicinity,” he said. “It’s just something I like to do, I guess.”
Sure, humility is appreciated every now and then, but even the most down-to-earth players should be able to brag a little about impressive attributes. Aminu led all small forwards in total rebound percentage two seasons in a row, and he’s obviously off to a fine start to this one. But the difference is this season, he’s not duking it out with small forwards. He’s eating glass among the trees. Normally speaking, that would put him at a tremendous disadvantage due to size and stature, but it hasn’t stopped him yet.
“It’s not always about just strength when it comes to rebounding,” Aminu said. “Dennis Rodman was proof to that. He wasn’t the biggest guy, but he was an unbelievable rebounder. There’s different way to get rebounds.”
Aminu has historically been an under-the-radar type of player. After spending his rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers, he was included in the package to New Orleans that ultimately netted the Clippers point guard Chris Paul. He’s never averaged more than 7.3 points per game, but he’s also never taken more than 6.2 shots per game. In a league dominated by high-scoring talents and highlight plays, it’s easy to see why a blue-collar guy like Aminu might slip out of the public eye. There’s not much that we know about him — except that he’s a Nigerian prince and he’s got an impressive line of eyeglasses. He also led his native Nigeria to the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The Mavs signed Aminu for his rebounding and defense, and he’s undoubtedly going to provide both. Any strides he can make in his offensive game is just going to be a bonus. A career 29.2 percent three-point shooter, Rick Carlisle has made it a point again and again to mention the progress Aminu is making with that shot. He hit a three-pointer against the Jazz and appears to be growing more confident with the shot as games go by. The Dallas coaching staff has kept encouraging him to shoot if he’s open, and Aminu is beginning to buy in. If he can turn into a reliable three-point shooter — similar to the way Shawn Marion was able to bring back the shot last season — it’ll be hard to keep the wiry wing off the floor.
Carlisle subbed Aminu in for Dirk Nowitzki in the first quarter against Utah, opting to go with length and rebounding instead of the three-guard lineup he turned to in the season opener against the Spurs. Aminu instantly responded on both ends, going after boards like they were million-dollar bills and throwing down an impressive dunk early on.
“When we sub in for Dirk, we’re going to be a little smaller regardless,” Carlisle said after the win. “Dirk is one of the tallest guys on the team. So whoever goes in there has got to be ready to fight, and block out, and go after the ball. Farouq is, pound-for-pound, he and Tyson (Chandler) are the two best rebounders on the team.”
“I’ve been singing his praises ever since he got here,” Aminu’s rebounding counterpart Chandler told reporters Friday. “He got drafted into some situations where he didn’t find his groove in organizations that didn’t quite have an identity yet. I think he’s a young player that has a lot to give to this game.”
Aminu is the type of player that’s going to let his game do the talking for him. Actions speak louder than words, after all. Carlisle has already said having four quality point guards is a good problem to have, but if Aminu keeps stuffing the stat sheet, Carlisle is going to have another good problem on his hands.
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