Looking for rebounding help for the Pacers
There’s one facet of the game that the Pacers have been seeking to improve for the past handful of seasons: Rebounding.
In the 2018-19 season, Indiana ranked 24th in the association when it came to grabbing boards, averaging just 43 rebounds per game as a team. The Pacers finished in the bottom five among the league when it came to securing second-chance opportunities too.
Whether this is a result of Myles Turner focusing on rim protection versus boxing out, or Indiana’s strongest rebounder, Domantas Sabonis, coming off the bench, the Pacers need to improve their rebounding to allow more transition opportunities and limit their opponent’s second-chance points. This would naturally increase the number of possessions and shot-attempts for the team as well.
Considering Kevin Pritchard and the front office selected center Goga Bitadze with the 18th pick in this week’s draft, rebounding for the Pacers could improve organically as their trio of young big men continues to mature and find their footing… hopefully under the basket.
This will be especially be something to watch for as the team plans to have Sabonis play significant minutes the 4 spot, and Bitadze is expected to be in the rotation immediately.
After the acquisition of TJ Warren just hours before the draft, the odds that Thaddeus Young, who grabbed the third most rebounds for the team last season, will be playing elsewhere next year increased. With T.J. Leaf, Alize Johnson, and Doug McDermott being the only other players under contract who can play minutes at the four, the Pacers will certainly be looking to add a rotational player who can be relied on to grab boards during his time on the court.
Let’s go ahead and look at some free agents that could fit this description.
Al-Farouq Aminu
The forward will be entering his tenth NBA season this October and could be a vital contributor off the bench. In 81 starts with the Portland Trail Blazers last year, Aminu averaged 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 28.3 minutes. The veteran was able to play efficiently despite posting the lowest usage rating of his career (13.7%). In fact, over 35 percent of Chief’s shots came from within the restricted area. He sank 61.1% of these attempts.
His 51.4% effective field goal percentage marked the highest in his career, and more impressively, he was able to increase his free throw percentage to 86.7 percent, which ended the year as the second-highest among the Blazers. His previous career-high was during his rookie campaign when he converted on 77.3% of his shots from the foul stripe.
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Aminu is a good at grabbing boards. He was Portland’s second-leading rebounder last season and his 498 defensive rebounds ranked 19th overall in the league. He posted a14.2% rebound rate, the second-highest mark of his career, which led all Trail Blazer forwards as well.
While he doesn’t hold the reputation as a threat from long-range, Aminu has shown the ability to knock down these shots and provide spacing for a team. 44.2% of his attempts last season were catch-and-shoot threes, and he drained nearly 36 percent of these shots.
Actually, every one of his 96 three-pointers made last season came off an assist. A career 33.7% shooter from long-range, the free agent was able to raise his percentage to 34.4% on 280 attempts in 2018-19.
Prior to the 2016-17 NBA season, Aminu played a majority of his minutes at the small forward position. While 99% of his time on the floor was the four spot last season, his versatility and ability to guard multiple positions could allow more increased flexibility in Coach McMillan’s rotations. His defensive ability isn’t on the same level as Thaddeus Young (the Pacers forward posted a 3.9 defensive win shares rating in 2018-19, 13th in the league) but he’s a solid perimeter defender who would fit well in Dan Burke’s system.
The Pacers would certainly miss the leadership and intangibles that Thad Young offers a team, but Aminu is the closest player they could get in free agency that can emulate Young’s presence and contributions offensively and on the glass.
The forward will have a market after him whether a cash-strapped Portland front office decides to retain him or not. Regardless, Chief may have to decide between a bench role on a contending squad or a starting role on a weaker team, with the two scenarios likely having financial implications too.