Fardaws Aimaq Shows Rebounding, Passing Skills in Nuggets Summer Game

Former Cal center Aimaq has played for two teams in the NBA summer league

Cal's Fardaws Aimaq / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cal center Fardaws Aimaq is getting plenty of exposure in the NBA summer league, and he is using that exposure to show he can rebound and pass.

The 6-foot-11 Aimaq was not selected in the recent NBA draft, but he played his fourth summer league game and second with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. He was in the Nuggets’ starting lineup Tuesday and played 19 minutes. He did not do much offensively, scoring just two points on 1-for-6 shooting in Denver’s 80-66 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in Las Vegas.  However, he collected seven rebounds and two assists, and has to be leading the summer league in screens set.

Most of his production took place in the first half, when he scored his only two points with a 10-foot push shot and added five rebounds and two assists.  His perfect pass to Au’Diese Toney that led to a layup was an example of his passing skills out of the center position.

The 25-year-old Aimaq would like to demonstrate that he can be a perimeter threat, but he was 0-for-2 on three-point attempts on Tuesday, and defenders did not pay much attention to him out there.

Aimaq’s shortcomings in athleticism and defense are evident, but he is fundamentally solid and consistently runs the floor.

Fouls have been a problem.  He committed four fouls in his 19 minutes on Tuesday, and he had four fouls in 14 minutes of court time in his first game with the Nuggets on Sunday.  He was a more productive scorer in Sunday’s game in Las Vegas, collecting eight points, but had just one rebound and no assists in that game.

In two earlier games in San Francisco with the Sacramento Kings’ summer league team, Aimaq had eight points, nine rebounds and four assists in the first game, and added four points, a team-high eight rebounds and a team-high five assists in the second game. Aimaq was a starter in both those games. However, he did not play in the Kings’ third game because of an abdominal injury, and was not a member of the Kings’ team that is playing in the Las Vegas summer league.

However, he was able to latch on to the Nuggets summer team, and is hoping to show enough to get an invitation to some team’s preseason camp.

The Nuggets play another summer-league game on Thursday in Las Vegas against the Pacers.

Aimaq averaged 14.5 points and a Pac-12-leading 11.0 rebounds in his only season at Cal.

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