Strengths: One of the top athletes in the country, Aminu had a solid sophomore year, with more opportunities to shine after James Johnson and Jeff Teague left for the pros ... A huge leaper with freakish athleticism, explosiveness and solid length, Aminu uses these 3 strengths to make him an excellent rebounder and defender ... His athleticism contributes to a quick first step, while possessing a good enough handle to take his defender off the dribble north to south rather than east to west ... His solid frame, length and athleticism give him the ability to be an excellent defender, with the option of allowing him to guard the 2, 3 or 4 ... His leaping abilities allow him to get up and block shots, as well as eliminate second chance opportunities on the defensive glass ... Again he uses his pure athleticism to keep the ball alive on the offensive glass making him a tough target to box out ... High energy player, will lay out for the ball ... Showed an improved post game, using his quickness to elude his defender down low and get off uncontested shots even with his man on his back ... He has a good enough handle to match his athleticism following a rebound, allowing him to go coast to coast where he thrives in transition, as he runs the floor very well and can soar around the hoop making him a point guard's best friend on the break ...
Weaknesses: Aminu's glaring weakness is his inability to create shots for himself and hit from the outside ... He lacks any real range on his outside game, and does not have the ability to pull up off the dribble ... He lacks touch around the basket when he's not close enough to dunk ... Turnover prone, with a tendency to be out of control and a bit awkward when taking his man off the dribble ... Handle is not diverse enough, most of his drives are made because of a quick first step, while limited to mainly just going right ... His lack of shooting ability hurts his chances of playing the 3 at the next level, most likely he will play the athletic and high flying power forward role until he broadens his perimeter skills ... Not skilled enough to immediately be effective on the offensive end...
Overall: Aminu's strengths include all of the things you can't teach, which is a great sign for potential and upside considering all the things he needs to improve upon can be learned and developed as he grows as a player ... More than just a highlight reel type player, Aminu would be a great fit on a team that wants to run and gun, or a team that lacks athleticism at the forward position ... His defensive and rebounding abilities make his stock higher than those players who may be more skilled at this point in time ... His versatility on defense, energy and athleticism on offensive, and tremendous upside should make Aminu a surefire lottery pick in June...
Jonathan Wasserman 4/26/10
Strengths: Small Forward with a terrific frame with a 7-foot plus wing span and great agility ... Excellent versatility with the ability to do it all ... Has bigtime potential and should be a factor the minute he steps onto campus at Wake Forest ... Has a nice set of skills offensively with the ability to create shots off the dribble ... Terrific form on his jump shot ... Ball handling is very good for a 6-8 small forward ... Has range out to three point ... A quality rebounder with the ability to rip down a board and go coast to coast ... Uses ball fakes well and has good moves around the basket ... Long arms make him a good shot blocker and rebounder ... Early in his high school career, he was a post player so his post up skills are very good for a 3, a skill that will come in handy at the NBA level ... Has no positional questions, as his skills and size are perfect for the small forward position ... Great in the open floor utilizing his speed athleticism and body control well ... Very quick off his feet and dunks without needing much momentum towards the rim ... High motor guy with great focus and intensity ...
Weaknesses: Needs to get stronger physically. Improved upper body strength will allow him to finish better at the rim after contact ... His outside shot is good but needs more range and consistency ... Can at times be too enamored with the outside shot. He's better off the dribble ... Must improve his consistency on the defensive end of the floor ...
Notes: A descendant of Nigerian kings ... His decision to stay at Wake Forest after the tragic death of Skip Prosser is a tribute to his character ... Appears to be a likely one and done candidate ...
Weaknesses: Aminu's glaring weakness is his inability to create shots for himself and hit from the outside ... He lacks any real range on his outside game, and does not have the ability to pull up off the dribble ... He lacks touch around the basket when he's not close enough to dunk ... Turnover prone, with a tendency to be out of control and a bit awkward when taking his man off the dribble ... Handle is not diverse enough, most of his drives are made because of a quick first step, while limited to mainly just going right ... His lack of shooting ability hurts his chances of playing the 3 at the next level, most likely he will play the athletic and high flying power forward role until he broadens his perimeter skills ... Not skilled enough to immediately be effective on the offensive end...
Overall: Aminu's strengths include all of the things you can't teach, which is a great sign for potential and upside considering all the things he needs to improve upon can be learned and developed as he grows as a player ... More than just a highlight reel type player, Aminu would be a great fit on a team that wants to run and gun, or a team that lacks athleticism at the forward position ... His defensive and rebounding abilities make his stock higher than those players who may be more skilled at this point in time ... His versatility on defense, energy and athleticism on offensive, and tremendous upside should make Aminu a surefire lottery pick in June...
Jonathan Wasserman 4/26/10
Weaknesses: Needs to get stronger physically. Improved upper body strength will allow him to finish better at the rim after contact ... His outside shot is good but needs more range and consistency ... Can at times be too enamored with the outside shot. He's better off the dribble ... Must improve his consistency on the defensive end of the floor ...
Notes: A descendant of Nigerian kings ... His decision to stay at Wake Forest after the tragic death of Skip Prosser is a tribute to his character ... Appears to be a likely one and done candidate ...
Aran Smith - 1/17/2008
YouTube Clip - 11/17/2009
YouTube Clip - 06/07/2010