Image via WikipediaDeJuan Blair, 6-7, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs, 1989
8.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.5 turnovers, 50% FG, 66% FT
Expected to be drafted in the lottery by most analysts in the 2009 NBA Draft, Blair surprisingly fell to the 37th pick due to concerns surrounding the long-term viability of his surgically repaired knees. As they've made a habit of doing in the past decade, the Spurs pounced on the opportunity by picking up Blair, who's yet to miss a game in his NBA career.
Outlook
Looking forward, it's hard to imagine Blair developing into much more than he currently is now, a strange thing to say for a player just 21 years old that is already starting for the best team in the league. The problem for Blair is the two areas where he shows the most capacity for improvement – post defense and mid-range shooting – are areas he has shown little to no learning curve in since he emerged on the national scene his freshman season at Pittsburgh. That said, there is precedent for hard-working big men completely reinventing segments of their game early in their NBA careers, with Glen Davis (post defense) and David Lee (mid-range shooting) being two recent examples.
In order for Blair to take his game to the next level and place himself among the league's most impactful role players, he's going to need to put in the work in those two areas, and all the signs suggest he has the requisite work ethic to do so. Regardless, even if he doesn't do that, he's already on the path to a very productive career, and he's in the perfect situation to put his unique talents to work, playing off San Antonio's Big Three. As long as he can remain healthy, Blair has already established a very high floor for the rest of his career., and is clearly one of the biggest steals in the draft over the past few years.
