ESPN NBA Rank: DeJuan Blair ranked No. 155

By Quixem Ramirez
facebooktwitterreddit

April 9, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson (25) prepares to defend San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) on an inbounds play during the first quarter at Energy Solutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

ESPN has officially embarked on their quest to rank the top 500 NBA players for the upcoming season. As each Spur is listed, I will provide a synopsis and a brief take on why they deserve (or don’t) this ranking.

DeJuan Blair preserved his efficiency in his third season and yet he dropped 30 spots in ESPN’s NBA Rank project.

Yet it makes sense; Blair similarly dropped out of the Spurs rotation at the end of the season despite technically playing at an above-average level for the majority of the season.

Blair averaged 16.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per 36 minutes this season while adding elite offensive rebounding (his career-low in offensive rebounding percentage occurred this season and he still ranked among the top 10 most proficient offensive rebounders.)

My take. While I don’t doubt that Blair holds some value, I don’t think he is better than Danny Green or Boris Diaw, who both received long-term contracts with San Antonio this season.

Other Spurs already ranked: Danny Green (160) | Boris Diaw (162) | Gary Neal (171) | Matt Bonner (198) | Patty Mills (309) | James Anderson (424) | Cory Joseph (458) | Derrick Byars (488)

facebooktwitterreddit