Just in case you’re not sick of Portland Trail Blazers players appearing on podcasts (with Evan Turner guesting on Zach Lowe’s this week), Jamie Hudson of NBCSports Northwest sat down with forward Al-Farouq Aminu to talk about his play, family life, and more.
At the 11:20 mark, Hudson asks Aminu what it feels like blocking an all-world talent like LeBron James. Aminu responds:
I’m really not thinking necessarily about who it is...I like to get a block against anybody. It is special when you get to get one against guys like that because you know how gited they are offensively and how difficult it is sometimes to get those kind of plays. It kind of solidifies in my head the kind of defender I am and that I continue to want to be.
He continues on from that point with astute observations about his own defensive intensity and how defense can win games.
Aminu has started 12 games for the Blazers this season, averaging 28.8 minutes per, usually drawing the toughest defensive assignment the opponent has to offer.