48MoH: The defensive stylings of Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair

[duncan228]

The defensive stylings of Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/)
by Andrew A. McNeill
48 Minutes of Hell

AT&T Center — For the second game in a row this preseason, DeJuan Blair and Tim Duncan started together. And also for the second straight game, the Spurs got off to a quick start in the first quarter, this time in their 90-73 win over the Miami Heat (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2010/10/09/preseason-san-antonio-spurs-90-miami-heat-73/).

The pairing of Duncan and Blair has almost everything the Spurs need, especially on the defensive end. Whether Duncan is listed at power forward and Blair at center — or vice versa — the two can easily switch players and positions at will.

Keep reading → (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2010/10/10/tim-duncan-and-dejuan-blair-are-good-at-defense/#more-10009)

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Nice article. I was afraid Blair and Timmy would be a tough pairing since Blair is so undersized, but it's good to see this duo has a ton of defensive potential for the Spurs frontline.

Something that was sorely missed last year.

[dbestpro]

As long as Pop does not put Blair on the floor with Bonner or as the lone big man in small ball I will be happy.

[#2!]

48moh puts out another solid read. As constructive criticism however, I will say that while it is nice to have a short read on a single subject (unlike newspapers who often throw together several topics to reach a word count quota) some of these articles are too good to be so short. The other side of that is that alot of the longer articles put out by 48moh tend to be b/c of extended stats, or stat analysis, which can be boring. Perhaps adding a video clip as an example of the chosen topic more often would be a good way to stick to the 1-topic formula (which I like) while extending its length, as well as the reader's knowledge.:toast

[#2!]

On the basketball front, the defense of Blair is certainly underrated b/c of his size, and he seems to know how to use what he's got (quick hands going for strips/steals instead of pointlessly trying to block a shot in man-to-man).

One side of the "subpar interior defense" debate, which has been oft covered on ST the last 2-3 seasons, that has been largely overlooked is defensive rebounding. While people say "Bonner can't rebound" no one really points to d. rebounding as a crack in the spurs once solid defense. Usually people complain about a lack of shot blocking/altering, or height.

However, the ability to limit teams to one shot per possession was always an enormously important aspect of Spurs defense under Pop, and that has been missing maybe since 2007. Fabricio can't be overlooked as an integral piece to a championship, but his defensive rebounding, as well as the aged Horry's, were nothing to brag about. Decent, sometimes even solid, but not a play in play out type of thing. Since that season defensive rebounding has been a problem for the Spurs.

With Blair and Duncan playing next to each other that "you get one shot, then it's our ball" mentality can really come back as a feature of the team. McDyess and Splitter (allegedly) are also solid rebounders, and so those 4 guys should be able to execute this gameplan night after night.

[HarlemHeat37]

It will only work if Blair has made some significant improvements defensively..

Both Duncan and Blair were poor defenders against face-up big men last season..when together, one of them would obviously have to pick up the D against a player with that style, which is pretty common in today's NBA..

Duncan was still very good at defending post-up players last season, but Blair was one of the worst post defenders in the NBA last year..I assume they will have Duncan guarding the post-up players anyways, so this might not be a big problem..

They were both good pick&roll defenders last year, so that shouldn't be a problem..

Blair was also pretty poor at making rotations last year, another thing he will have to work on..part of it will come from chemistry, the rest will depend on his physical improvements and basketball IQ..

Rebounding shouldn't be a problem at all, they're both very good rebounders..

It's pretty much entirely dependent on Blair..he was a pretty bad defender last year, he was actually ranked as one of the worst in the entire NBA..he'll really have to improve his lateral quickness against face-up bigs, and improve his overall team defense on rotations, those would be my 2 main concerns..

[SenorSpur]

As much as I like the pairing, along with the "one shot and out" advantage on the rebounding side of things, I'm still skeptical that this pairing can be as successful against the more mammoth NBA frontlines - i.e. the Fakers.

[ElNono]

I think it can work against teams not named the Lakers or Celtics. Blair also used to gamble quite a bit and get in foul trouble because of it, especially in non-consequential offensive boards. Hope he learned his lesson.

[Manufan909]

Did Blair say him and Tim fight for boards at the end there?

[DPG21920]

I am nervous about the defensive aspects of this pairing but I think the energy and rebounding offsets my worries.

[Obstructed_View]

Nice article. I was afraid Blair and Timmy would be a tough pairing since Blair is so undersized, but it's good to see this duo has a ton of defensive potential for the Spurs frontline.

Something that was sorely missed last year.

People seriously need to stop referring to Blair as "undersized". He's got a longer standing reach and wingspan than anyone on the team but Duncan. Matt Bonner is undersized, despite being taller.

[TJastal]

People seriously need to stop referring to Blair as "undersized". He's got a longer standing reach and wingspan than anyone on the team but Duncan. Matt Bonner is undersized, despite being taller.

I think being shorter hurts his vision somewhat, he tends to get lost trying to look over the shoulders of the trees. There may be problems with certain teams as somebody mentioned before.

All in all however, I think its a good starting duo, and made all the better by Ginobili in the starting lineup feeding Blair on P&R's. I really look forward to seeing Blair as the opening day starter and seeing how it goes.

[yavozerb]

People seriously need to stop referring to Blair as "undersized". He's got a longer standing reach and wingspan than anyone on the team but Duncan. Matt Bonner is undersized, despite being taller.

I disagree....So a player who has a large wingspan can play any position on the floor? Hill and Rondo both have 6'7+ wingspan, so according to your logic they could play the 3 or the 4 cause there wingspan dictates that. 6'6 or 6'7 (whatever is blairs ht) is "undersized" for the 4 position regardless of wingspan. Blairs lack of ht leads to many of his shots being blocked and bigger players who can simply shoot over blair on the defensive end (which happens often). Not sure how how you could deny this since I am sure you watch as many spurs games as I do.

[yavozerb]

I think being shorter hurts his vision somewhat, he tends to get lost trying to look over the shoulders of the trees. There may be problems with certain teams as somebody mentioned before.

All in all however, I think its a good starting duo, and made all the better by Ginobili in the starting lineup feeding Blair on P&R's. I really look forward to seeing Blair as the opening day starter and seeing how it goes.

agreed

[Dunc n Dave]

I think Blair starting alongside Duncan is just a stop-gap until Tiago gets up enough on the system to replace Blair in the starting lineup. Give it until January, then Tiago will be our new starting center.

[8FOR!3]

I'd rather see Blair/Duncan than Duncan/McDyess or Duncan/Bonner in the starting lineup. Dice doesn't show up during the season and he'll be seeing limited minutes and I don't need a reason for not wanting Bonner starting. At least you've got youth and potential starting with Blair.

[TJastal]

I'd rather see Blair/Duncan than Duncan/McDyess or Duncan/Bonner in the starting lineup. Dice doesn't show up during the season and he'll be seeing limited minutes and I don't need a reason for not wanting Bonner starting. At least you've got youth and potential starting with Blair.

Agreed.

At this point, McDyess should come off the bench, first off that's what he always wanted to do since he joined the spurs and second, Blair has gotten better it seems with a year under his belt. Tiago might be a candidate at some point for certain teams with size (fakers/celts). I just hope Pop doesn't get any funny ideas about Bonner starting like last year.

[Obstructed_View]

I disagree....So a player who has a large wingspan can play any position on the floor? Hill and Rondo both have 6'7+ wingspan, so according to your logic they could play the 3 or the 4 cause there wingspan dictates that. 6'6 or 6'7 (whatever is blairs ht) is "undersized" for the 4 position regardless of wingspan. Blairs lack of ht leads to many of his shots being blocked and bigger players who can simply shoot over blair on the defensive end (which happens often). Not sure how how you could deny this since I am sure you watch as many spurs games as I do.

You really need to look up "standing reach". When Blair and Bonner and Dice put their hands in the air and stand next to each other, Blair's hands go the highest. How high the top of your head goes has absolutely zero bearing on whether or not your shot gets blocked. Blair's biggest defensive weakness is not being in position, not his length. Bonner's biggest defensive weakness is length coupled with an extreme lack of athletecism.

By the way, 6'7" wingspan isn't even close to enough to play the three in the NBA. Hairston had a 6'9" wingspan and was borderline. Don't try to make up ridiculous strawman arguments to shoot down when you clearly don't understand the concepts.

[TJastal]

I think Blair starting alongside Duncan is just a stop-gap until Tiago gets up enough on the system to replace Blair in the starting lineup. Give it until January, then Tiago will be our new starting center.

We'll see how fast Tiago can adjust to the nba and learn the spurs' schemes. I think it'll take more than January but we'll see. And the way Blair's been tearing it up so far and also how well he's fitting into the starter unit I'm not so sure Splitter is going to displace him.

[yavozerb]

You really need to look up "standing reach". When Blair and Bonner and Dice put their hands in the air and stand next to each other, Blair's hands go the highest. How high the top of your head goes has absolutely zero bearing on whether or not your shot gets blocked. Blair's biggest defensive weakness is not being in position, not his length. Bonner's biggest defensive weakness is length coupled with an extreme lack of athletecism.

By the way, 6'7" wingspan isn't even close to enough to play the three in the NBA. Hairston had a 6'9" wingspan and was borderline. Don't try to make up ridiculous strawman arguments to shoot down when you clearly don't understand the concepts.

:lol, whatever you say oh wise one...Blair is undersized, you can take any measurement you want (ht, armspan,standing reach, penis size)for an NBA pf. Noah is 4 inches taller than Blair with the same standing reach and you are going to try and convince me since they have the same standing reach Blair is equally tough or effective down low? Oh wait, damion james standing reach is actually 1/2 an inch more than blair and noah so therefore he is going to dominate the low post.

[Leetonidas]

I like the idea of Timmy and DeJuan starting but like others have said, I'm skeptical on their defensive games together. DeJuan is a good help defender and can cover the PnR decently but he was awful in the post last season being faced up by big men. Timmy is still good at it but he has been more easily pushed around due to his weight loss and he is no longer quick enough to be the help defender he used to be. Hopefully pairing them together can help to cover up the other's weaknesses, but I really hope at some point that Splitter is starting towards the end of the season.

Size is invaulable in today's game. I love Blair but he's only 6'6" and while he is very stout and strong, he doesn't have the height to compete against Gasol or Bynum. Hopefully Splitter is quick enough to check Gasol because Duncan can stick on Bynum and his glass knees.

[Obstructed_View]

Noah is 4 inches taller than Blair with the same standing reach and you are going to try and convince me since they have the same standing reach Blair is equally tough or effective down low?

Nobody said he's equally tough down low. That's a matter of skill or effort or even weight. When you create a ridiculous argument out of nowhere and attribute it to me, that's called a strawman. This is now the second time you've done it. Time to give it up.

What you just confirmed, however, is that Blair isn't any more undersized than Noah. Thanks for proving the point for me.

If you'd like to try to explain how Noah's effectiveness comes from his long neck and tall head, I'm sure we'd all find it entertaining.

[Manufan909]

Nobody said he's equally tough down low. That's a matter of skill or effort or even weight. When you create a ridiculous argument out of nowhere and attribute it to me, that's called a strawman. This is now the second time you've done it. Time to give it up.

What you just confirmed, however, is that Blair isn't any more undersized than Noah. Thanks for proving the point for me.

If you'd like to try to explain how Noah's effectiveness comes from his long neck and tall head, I'm sure we'd all find it entertaining.

I definitely lean towards your side of the argument, but can you explain why Blair does so bad against extremely tall frontlines? Blair might exacerbate things by just not being good on D, yet people just conveniently blame his height, idk. Is his vertical anything to write home about?

[yavozerb]

Nobody said he's equally tough down low. That's a matter of skill or effort or even weight. When you create a ridiculous argument out of nowhere and attribute it to me, that's called a strawman. This is now the second time you've done it. Time to give it up.

What you just confirmed, however, is that Blair isn't any more undersized than Noah. Thanks for proving the point for me.

If you'd like to try to explain how Noah's effectiveness comes from his long neck and tall head, I'm sure we'd all find it entertaining.

You should be called houdini then cause you can make something out of nothing. To say that its just as easy to shoot over Noah than blair cause he has the same arm length is just plain stupid. Get over it, Blair is and always well be undersized power forward.

[ChuckD]

I think Pop is realizing that you have to maximize your possessions, and Tim and DeJuan paired together gives you those extra ones. Sure, Dejuan isn't a superior shotblocker, but he's a fucking vacuum on the boards. What real difference does it make if you block three shots or grab three extra defensive rebounds?

[ohmwrecker]

I would rather have the boards, honestly.

[Obstructed_View]

To say that its just as easy to shoot over Noah than blair cause he has the same arm length is just plain stupid.

They have the exact same standing reach. That means their hands are exactly the same height from the floor at full extension. It's exactly as easy to shoot over one as the other. Suggesting otherwise is what's just plain stupid. How do you fail to understand that 8' 10.5" is the same if it's Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah or Dejuan Blair?

[Obstructed_View]

I definitely lean towards your side of the argument, but can you explain why Blair does so bad against extremely tall frontlines? Blair might exacerbate things by just not being good on D, yet people just conveniently blame his height, idk. Is his vertical anything to write home about?

I don't know that what you're saying is true, but regardless, doesn't everyone do worse against extremely tall front lines? I know Duncan does, and nobody's using that fact to make a case that he's undersized.

Blair's defensive problems last season weren't related to his height. What makes Noah a better defender than he is at this point is mostly due to his experience. There's no reason related to size that would keep Blair from being every bit as good a defender as Noah.

[Manufan909]

Well I hope your hypothesis is correct and Blair proves it by being in position a lot more this season. And works on not letting his man get to his preferred spot. He has a lower center of gravity than almost every big in the NBA, so if he combines that with his added strength, he should be at the very least a decent all-around defender.

And Blair is way less effective against taller front lines, Duncan doesn't decline as much.


I would rather have the boards, honestly.

If it's a 1:1 ratio and the balls aren't spiked out of bounds, I'd go with the blocks. Intimidation can be a very strong thing.

[yavozerb]

They have the exact same standing reach. That means their hands are exactly the same height from the floor at full extension. It's exactly as easy to shoot over one as the other. Suggesting otherwise is what's just plain stupid. How do you fail to understand that 8' 10.5" is the same if it's Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah or Dejuan Blair?

Ok, last post on this subject...I believe exactly what Tjastal posted earlier in that it is much more difficult to shoot over someone who is 6'9 or 6'10 with a standing reach of 8' 10.5" rather than someone who is 6'6 with the same standing reach. Do you really believe Blair runs around the floor with his arms straight up the whole game (:lol, sorry just pictured this), of course not. A player who is taller does not need to fully extend his reach to influence the offensive player. I like Blair alot as a spurs player, but I fully accept the fact he is an undersized PF as well. I think you need to do the same and move on. Watch any televised spurs game (which I am sure you do) and I will assure you all knowledgable NBA analysts and former NBA players would agree with me. :flag:

[Bruno]

Blair was a poor defender last year, he was at Bonner's level. I hope he will be better this year. Being undersized is a surmountable drawback on the defensive end (see Ben Wallace).

And FYI, Noah' reach is reportedly higher than the one measured in pre-draft camp where he had a shoulder injury.

[yavozerb]

Blair was a poor defender last year, he was at Bonner's level. I hope he will be better this year. Being undersized is a surmountable drawback on the defensive end (see Ben Wallace).

And FYI, Noah' reach is reportedly higher than the one measured in pre-draft camp where he had a shoulder injury.

I agree with your assessment and in my opinion I thought Blair got slightly better by the end of last season. Positioning is key to undersized bigs like Blair. If he is unable to keep bigger players away from the basket when recieving the pass down low he will get scored on all game long. Wallace was great at this when playing duncan, he was always pushing duncan outside the paint when he recieved the pass down low.

[ohmwrecker]

If it's a 1:1 ratio and the balls aren't spiked out of bounds, I'd go with the blocks. Intimidation can be a very strong thing.

Well, it's not, and they are AND rebounds = possessions. So, there you go.

[kobyz]

as far as defense Blair need to look at Chuck Hayes who is great defender with about the same attributes!

[TD 21]

Everyone always talks about deficiencies with virtually everything regarding this team, but consider this...

There won't be a better rebounding tandem in the league. Not Gasol-Bynum, not Randolph-Gasol; no one.

They'll also pile up points in the paint. Blair may not have a post game as aesthetically pleasing as Duncan, but he finds ways to score in the paint and does so efficiently.

They're both good passers and because of this and their ability to play inside and (if Blair proves he can hit a 12 foot jumper consistently) out, can be interchangeable. Particularly on offense during the regular season, expect to see Duncan playing more PF than he has in a long time and quite possibly, ever.

They're also good screen setters, have excellent hands and are good finishers on pick-and-rolls.

Are they going to have problems guarding elite face-up fours? Sure. Just as a lot of teams do. But more often than not, they're going to win the battle of the starting bigs.

Bosh and Garnett are potentially problematic match-ups, but as far as the playoffs go, the Spurs wouldn't play either unless they got to the Finals.

Nowitzki and Gasol are definitely problematic match-ups and should the Spurs see either in the playoffs, I fully expect to see McDyess starting, unless Blair proves that he can do something resembling an adequate job defending them in the regular season. Gasol in particular is tough for him, because not only is he a tough cover for him, but offensively Gasol's length gives him problems finishing around the rim.

[024]

it will be quite obvious early in the season whether this will work or not.

[Obstructed_View]

Ok, last post on this subject...I believe exactly what Tjastal posted earlier in that it is much more difficult to shoot over someone who is 6'9 or 6'10 with a standing reach of 8' 10.5" rather than someone who is 6'6 with the same standing reach. Do you really believe Blair runs around the floor with his arms straight up the whole game (:lol, sorry just pictured this), of course not. A player who is taller does not need to fully extend his reach to influence the offensive player. I like Blair alot as a spurs player, but I fully accept the fact he is an undersized PF as well. I think you need to do the same and move on. Watch any televised spurs game (which I am sure you do) and I will assure you all knowledgable NBA analysts and former NBA players would agree with me. :flag:

It's exactly as hard to shoot over one as the other, because their height is exactly the same where it matters. People don't block shots with their shoulders or their heads. They block shots with their hands, and only do so when the hands are extended in the air. You might go attempt to look up how many blocks in the history of the NBA were performed with any other body part. Perhaps Blair could grow a Fletch afro so he could suddenly become the dominating defender you dream he could be.

I fully accept the fact that Blair is in no way undersized for his position. I suggest you do the same and move on. Otherwise you might start seeking out all these knowledgable NBA analysts and former NBA players who think that 6'10.5" doesn't equal 6'10.5". Or we could just agree to disagree.

[ajh18]

It's exactly as hard to shoot over one as the other, because their height is exactly the same where it matters. People don't block shots with their shoulders or their heads. They block shots with their hands, and only do so when the hands are extended in the air. You might go attempt to look up how many blocks in the history of the NBA were performed with any other body part. Perhaps Blair could grow a Fletch afro so he could suddenly become the dominating defender you dream he could be.

I fully accept the fact that Blair is in no way undersized for his position. I suggest you do the same and move on. Otherwise you might start seeking out all these knowledgable NBA analysts and former NBA players who think that 6'10.5" doesn't equal 6'10.5". Or we could just agree to disagree.


While I agree that standing reach is a BETTER determinant of "height" in basketball than the height of a player's head, I disagree with the notion that shooting over a smaller person with long arms is equally difficult as shooting over a larger person with the same reach.

Sure, you don't block shots with other body parts. But you do inhibit line of sight. To the basket, to other players, etc. It's a simple issue of the mass of a torso or shoulders blocking line of sight more extensively than a pair of arms.

Is it a significant difference? Maybe, maybe not. I'd rather have a 6'9 guy with long arms than a 6'11 guy with T-Rex arms. But two guys with the same standing reach, and all other factors the same? I take the taller one.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

People seriously need to stop referring to Blair as "undersized". He's got a longer standing reach and wingspan than anyone on the team but Duncan. Matt Bonner is undersized, despite being taller.

This.

Blair's also very quick for his bulk. His "size" doesn't worry me one bit.

[Obstructed_View]

While I agree that standing reach is a BETTER determinant of "height" in basketball than the height of a player's head, I disagree with the notion that shooting over a smaller person with long arms is equally difficult as shooting over a larger person with the same reach.

Sure, you don't block shots with other body parts. But you do inhibit line of sight. To the basket, to other players, etc. It's a simple issue of the mass of a torso or shoulders blocking line of sight more extensively than a pair of arms.

Is it a significant difference? Maybe, maybe not. I'd rather have a 6'9 guy with long arms than a 6'11 guy with T-Rex arms. But two guys with the same standing reach, and all other factors the same? I take the taller one.

Fair enough. I even did some looking around just to see if Yav has a point, and someone mentioned that it might take a shorter guy with longer arms a bit longer to get his hands up, and line of sight, as you mentioned, can be a factor. I agree that you always take the taller one if all other things are equal, but I still stand by my statement that Blair is in no meaningful way "undersized" for his position.

[quentin_compson]

Fair enough. I even did some looking around just to see if Yav has a point, and someone mentioned that it might take a shorter guy with longer arms a bit longer to get his hands up, and line of sight, as you mentioned, can be a factor. I agree that you always take the taller one if all other things are equal, but I still stand by my statement that Blair is in no meaningful way "undersized" for his position.

I also think that you shouldn't underestimate the point about line of sight. And on the offensive end, Blair is definitely undersized. That's why he's going for those "low" layups so often (it's the same with Glen Davis). I know this thread is more about his defense, though.

[jjktkk]

Blair was a poor defender last year, he was at Bonner's level. I hope he will be better this year. Being undersized is a surmountable drawback on the defensive end (see Ben Wallace).

And FYI, Noah' reach is reportedly higher than the one measured in pre-draft camp where he had a shoulder injury.

Thats not entirely true. Wallace was a good defender earlier in his career. Think about how good a defender Dennis Rodman was in his career. Both were listed at 6'8".

[Obstructed_View]

I also think that you shouldn't underestimate the point about line of sight.

I mentioned line of sight explicitly in the post you quoted. Mentioning that it can be a factor is about as much as you can say about it; any more would be overestimating it. If a two inch difference in line of sight is the only justification for calling a guy "undersized" then the argument is even weaker than I've made it out to be. This is, after all, a game where the guys with the best court vision are the smallest players on the floor.


And on the offensive end, Blair is definitely undersized. That's why he's going for those "low" layups so often (it's the same with Glen Davis). I know this thread is more about his defense, though.

Blair also dunks more than any of the other bigs on the team. Taking what's available doesn't mean anything other than you're a good decision maker.

[Obstructed_View]

Thats not entirely true. Wallace was a good defender earlier in his career. Think about how good a defender Dennis Rodman was in his career. Both were listed at 6'8".

I misread this the first time too, but Bruno said it's surmountable, not insurmountable, meaning that even if Blair were undersized (which he isn't), he could still be as good a defender as his skills and work-ethic can make him. At least that's the way I understood it.

[BronxCowboy]

Sorry to resurrect an abandoned thread, but Blair is now listed on Spurs.com as 6'8". At his age, it's not inconceivable that he actually grew an inch, but probably just following the Danny Fortson model (i.e. playing C therefore he has to be listed as at least 6'8"). Anybody with some actual facts on the subject?

[TJastal]

Sorry to resurrect an abandoned thread, but Blair is now listed on Spurs.com as 6'8". At his age, it's not inconceivable that he actually grew an inch, but probably just following the Danny Fortson model (i.e. playing C therefore he has to be listed as at least 6'8"). Anybody with some actual facts on the subject?

No way Blair is 6'8". Recent photos someone posted showed him being barely 3 inches taller than Parker.

[ohmwrecker]

Blair is 6'6" . . . tops . . . in shoes.

[BronxCowboy]

His official predraft was 6'6.5" in shoes, 6'5.25" without. I was aware that he is shorter than his listed height, just noted that it changed from last year and wondered if anyone knew if he had grown.

[Obstructed_View]

His official predraft was 6'6.5" in shoes, 6'5.25" without. I was aware that he is shorter than his listed height, just noted that it changed from last year and wondered if anyone knew if he had grown.

Probably for the same reason many NBA players have a listed height that's more than their actual height. People are less likely to whine about him being undersized if he's listed at 6'8" since they seem to be completely oblivious to things like standing reach even when having it explained to them. (gee, passive aggressive much, OV?) :lol

[TJastal]

Fair enough. I even did some looking around just to see if Yav has a point, and someone mentioned that it might take a shorter guy with longer arms a bit longer to get his hands up, and line of sight, as you mentioned, can be a factor. I agree that you always take the taller one if all other things are equal, but I still stand by my statement that Blair is in no meaningful way "undersized" for his position.

For what Blair may be lacking in height (and any disadvantages that causes), he has a pretty big advantage in a different way few other big men can match, which is an enormous girth. He's a huge space eater in the paint which clearly helps him when battling for rebounds.

Charles Barkley was about the same size as Blair and could guard power forwards or centers and was great rebounder for the same reasons as Blair is.