Al-Farouq Aminu is the fail safe the Orlando Magic imagined

The Orlando Magic are still getting their balance this season. When the team needed Al-Farouq Aminu, he was more than ready.

Before the Orlando Magic’s game Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, coach Steve Clifford talked to veteran forward Al-Farouq Aminu about a potential change to the rotation.

The team was struggling to gain any kind of offensive rhythm. Several players were working their way back from early nagging injuries and he needed to find a way to get their minutes up and get them out of that funk.

To Clifford, that meant getting those players in a better position to play more and get the shots they would need to take. They needed more room for error and more time to find that flow in the game.

It meant Al-Farouq Aminu would get squeezed out of the rotation.

Aminu, a starter for the Western Conference finalist Portland Trail Blazers last season, played only 1:32 in the game, the fewest minutes he had played in any game since 2015 and was just the fourth time in his career he had played two or fewer minutes in a game.

Clifford said Aminu understand his reasoning for moving him out of the rotation for a time. He warned the Magic would need him though. The move out of the rotation was temporary.

"“We need our skill-based guys are going to have to play well,” Clifford said after Wednesday’s game. “I’ve got to get those guys going right now. The only way I can do that is by how we manage the game. They’ve got to be on the floor enough to be in rhythm. The rest of it will take care of itself. Chief was great, he understood. He wants to play and he’s a great player and he’s going to play. Just right now with where we’re at, I’ve got to get those guys in rhythm.”"

Aminu was always going to be a luxury. Another big, versatile, defensive-minded player the team could plug in when needed.

The Magic would never really have to change the way they defend. And Aminu, whose value is often not derived from his counting stats, could plug in defensively anywhere. The team can always trust his positioning and understanding defensively.

Regardless of whether he was in the rotation or not, Orlando knew it was going to need him at some point. The team could trust he would step up when called upon.

The next day, as the Magic released their City Edition jerseys, Jonathan Isaac was playing around with season ticketholders and tweaked his ankle. The Magic would hold him out of the next day’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Aminu would start. And Aminu would provide a strong defensive presence and a strong presence on the glass — grabbing 13 rebounds and scoring 13 points — helping the Magic stay in that game and eventually win it. He provided another solid outing against the Washington Wizards — six points and six rebounds.

If there was a reason why the Magic signed Aminu in the offseason, it was for this exact situation. Orlando needed some assurance for the team’s extreme injury luck last season — all six of the Magic’s top players played at least 76 games.

The Magic wanted to fill their roster with players they could trust to step in and maintain the team’s backbone.

It is something the team sensed from the very beginning of the season.

"“I think this year we have a deeper team than last year,” Nikola Vucevic said after the team’s season-opening win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “We have guys who can make an impact and guys who deserve to play like [Khem] Birch. There just aren’t enough minutes. It’s a long season. You need that. Certain games things are not always going to go great and then you have to put in different players.”"

That does not mean the transition and the role have been perfect. Aminu has had his struggles offensively.

He is averaging only 4.9 points per game, which would be the lowest of his career, and he is shooting 32.3 percent from the floor with a 37.9 percent effective field goal percentage. He is shooting only 11 for 28 from within five feet of the basket. And his inconsistency from beyond the arc continues.

That is not where Aminu makes his biggest impact, even when he was scoring more. His role is more about defensive positioning and grit. He attacks the glass and prevents drives. He is a lane deterrent with his understanding of help-side defense and big body to protect the paint from drives.

Tellingly, Orlando is an even +0.0 net rating with Aminu on the floor (96.7 offensive and defensive rating). That is the best mark of any player that is not a typical starter for the Magic.

But taking out the last two games, the Magic are -2.6 points per 100 possessions with Aminu on the floor. That is still the second-best mark among the bench players, behind only Michael Carter-Williams.

The Magic are still figuring out their bench rotation. The starters have found their rhythm, but the team is still seeking the best combinations off the bench, including with Aminu.

But with the Magic needing him to fill in for starter’s minutes, he has helped keep the team steady. That happened too in the opener against the Cavaliers when Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon faced some foul trouble. Several players said that night the team would not have pulled out the win without Aminu’s presence.

"“[Aminu is] one of those players who can do it on both ends,” Aaron Gordon said after that season-opening win. “For a seasoned vet like that to come in and hold it down just makes us that much more solid.”"

This was the value the Magic hoped a guy like Aminu would bring. Someone who could step in and play as a starter and provide a solid base for the team. Someone who could step in when called upon without drastically changing how the Magic played.

Bringing Aminu off the bench was always a luxury. Orlando loaded its roster with guys the team could trust like this. Guys who could fit in seamlessly into the team no matter what point they have to play.

Orlando Magic

Michael Carter-Williams is the other example of this. He was someone the team plucked out of free agency last year and still viewed as vital to the team’s hopes.

The thought was Michael Carter-Williams would be left out of the rotation as an emergency point guard if Markelle Fultz needed time to heal and recover at any point in the season.

Instead, Carter-Williams has forced himself into the rotation with his defensive energy. He has been such a terror on that end that Clifford has had no choice but to play him.

The cluster of using 10 players likely pinched minutes from other players. As the Magic struggled early on, Clifford knew he would have to trim things down a bit. And that would inevitably leave a good player out. But he knew early in the season, he needed these players ready and in rhythm when that happened.

That is the strength of this team. Something everyone understands and leaves everyone ready when it is their time. And everyone should have their time.

"“It’s a long season,” Carter-Williams said after the season opener. “Guys get bumps and bruises. Guys some night need rest. It’s good to have people who come in and you don’t lose a step.”"

That time came last week.

Isaac’s injury is minor — he sat out Sunday’s game even though he participated in the team’s practice Saturday. He could be back when the Orlando Magic face the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday to start the road trip.

But Aminu was ready. He was more than ready. He produced in a meaningful way for the team and kept the Magic stable.

And that is exactly what the Magic wanted when they signed him.

"“[Al-Farouq Aminu is] the ultimate vet,” Mohamed Bamba said after an early-season practice. “He has been around the league. He just knows so much about the game and what goes on behind the scenes. He’s just a smart player.”"

The Magic are glad to have that kind of smarts around when they absolutely needed it.