Fardaws Aimaq Does Some Good Things in NBA Summer League Debut

Most people were looking at Bronny James, but former Cal big man Aimaq rebounded well and set solid screens

Fardaws Aimaq goes up to try to block a shot by Bronny James / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cal center Fardaws Aimaq did not wow anyone with his performance in his NBA Summer League debut on Saturday afternoon, but he did a lot of the things pro teams are looking for from their big men.

Aimaq, an undrafted free agent playing for the Sacramento Kings summer squad, officially scored six points on 2-for-6 shooting in the Kings' nationally-televised 108-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers' summer team. But Aimaq actually had eight points, as the official scorer failed to count two free throws he made in the second quarter.

Most spectators in the game at the Chase Center in San Francisco were looking at Bronny James, the Lakers' second-round draft pick. And he finished with four points on 2-for-9 shooting. But the star of the game was Adonis Arms, who played in the G-League this past season and put up 32 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on Saturday.

But we're focusing on Aimaq, who was the Kings' starting center on Saturday and had nearly 26 minutes of court time.

NBA teams or high-level foreign pro teams are looking for big men who can rebound, set effective screens, handle and pass the ball adequately and block shots. If they can score that's helpful, too.

The 6-foot-11 Aimaq will never be much of a rim-protector and he did not block any shots Saturday, and he is not expected to be a big scorer in the pros. But he did the other three things well on Saturday. He picked up nine rebounds, probably set a summer-league record with the number of solid screens he set, and showed he can pass effectively out of the middle. He finished with four assists, but a number of his passes led to points for the Kings.

Aimaq is a long shot to make the Kings regular-season roster, but a good showing in the summer league could set him up for a spot on the roster of a foreign pro team or a G-league team.

He started the game 0-for-4 from the field, missing two of those 8-foot push shots he made frequently in his one season with the Golden Bears. His third shot attempt was blocked, and his fourth was a three-point attempt that missed badly. That left him 0-for-4 from the field at halftime.

His first field goal came in the fourth quarter on a follow shot, and he added another bucket a few minutes later. He was also 4-for-6 from the foul line (although the official box score has him 2-for-4 from the line).

Aimaq will have two more chances to show his stuff. The Kings face the Miami Heat summer team on Sunday, then play the Warriors summer squad on Wednesday. Both those games are at the Chase Center.

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