DeJuan Blairs Game Developments Throughout His First 3 seasons

I hope you’re right, but I think he’s going to need to develop more of a jump-shot in order to get that many points per game. Right now, if he doesn’t get the ball fed to him on a cut or get an offensive rebound he doesn’t score. Hard to amass 15+ points per game doing that.

blair is a very interesting player. he often gets in a lot of foul trouble, limiting his minutes. i think pop would like to play him more, but he’s going to need to prove he can keep his head on straight during the game. part of his foul issues come from the fact that he’s very aggressive and physical, but i think a lot of the time it is due to mental lapses.

that’s frustrating because he has a lot of potential. his physique is very unique and has potential to get him a lot of mismatches – i think that’s where most of his offensive potential comes from. he’s quicker and has better moves than most centers, and he’s stronger and more physical than most forwards. i think these are the keys for blair moving forward:

- he needs to do a better job of finishing at the basket. this is already his offensive strongsuit, but its going to have to happen at an elite level if its going to carry his game
- he needs to work on his jumpshot and midrange moves. not only will this help the team offensively, but it will open things up a lot more for him down low if he can keep defenses honest
- his rebounding needs to improve. he has been underperforming on the boards, given his body and athleticism. i’m willing to cut him some slack since he’s been playing a lot at center where he’s at a significant height disadvantage. he could of course position himself better and use his power/leverage but i think realistically his future is at PF if his rebounding is going to improve

overall i think he could be a great part of the frontcourt of the future – which looks to be incredibly gifted physically and well-rounded. they are all very physical and above average rebounders for their size. tiago is long and athletic, blair has size and power, and kawhi represents a blend of those two body types. the potential to create and exploit mismatches is very high, but i think a lot of it depends on what kind of a player blair becomes.

I’m the only vote for “spot on” so far, and that wasn’t an entirely honest vote. I think your averages were withing a statistical margin of error, so to speak. I’d put him likely averaging 13 points and 8-9 rebounds, just shy of a double double (which would put his averages above what Marc Gasol averaged last year, for perspective.)

His stats are like a roller coaster. He can be really effective, depending on the matchup, and then be pretty much the same or worse than Bonner in other games. Many times he magnifies it with turnovers or stupid fouls or by trying to do too much in the post.