The Case For…..Marqus Blakely

My look at some of the underpublicized seniors in this year’s draft continues with a trip to the America East Conference – Vermont’s Marqus Blakely.  Blakely (6’5, 225 – 17.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg) may be the smallest power player I have ever seen.  He dominated the conference the last 3 seasons almost exclusively in the lane.  Let’s examine if there is NBA potential behind the stats.

The Good– Blakely plays much bigger than 6’5 and uses his body well.  On offense he has great touch around the rim, very good footwork,  and does a great job clearing space around him.  He works hard going after offensive rebounds and has a good knack for how missed shots will come off the rim.    Defensively, he does a great job forcing players out of the lane and always seems to clear space for rebounds.  He is an active defender around the basket and is a good shot blocker for his size.  Speaking of rebounding, his fundamentals are sound – boxes out well, grabs ball with two hands and keeps the ball up.  All-around, he has a solid basketball IQ and his decision-making has improved through his time in Vermont.

The Not-So-Good– Size, Size, Size.  Unfortunately, he plays a power forward’s game in a shooting guard’s body.  He has almost no offense outside of 8-10 feet and he doesn’t have the ball-handling skills to play on the perimeter.  Defensively, he is not quick enough to guard comparatively sized players and not big enough to play with NBA-sized power forwards.  In his college career, he spent most of his time like the biggest kid on the school yard, forcing his will on the other teams.    He does a good job drawing fouls, though he needs to improve his foul shooting.  Finally, he doesn’t run the court particularly well and he needs to improve his foot speed.

The Verdict– While there is a lot to like about Blakely, I just don’t think he has the size it takes to play his style of game in the NBA.  If he can improve his ball-handling skills and foot speed enough that he can play out on the perimeter, then his toughness and rebounding skills can be a valuable asset.  If he was to go play in Europe, I think he would be a very effective player.

Come back tomorrow, when I will rate the platers in the draft by their particular skills, and more of the countdown to the Draft with more NBA Team Needs.