NBA Comparison: DeJuan Blair

Strengths: Unique player with his tremendous frame and ability to face the basket and control his body despite carrying immense weight … Foot speed and face up skills are surprising for a player with his weight …. Impressive ball handling ability for a four as he played point guard while in high school … Has the ability to put the ball on the floor and create off the dribble, whether it be in transition, on a dribble drive or with his back to the basket … Does a solid job of using his elite strength to get to his spots on the floor, and never shies away from contact, often times initiating fouls by using his great strength … Not many opponents have the strength to successfully box him out, and his soft touch around the rim allows him to be an effective low post scorer …  Good feel for the game and solid passer … A menace on the offensive glass … On defense, Gray has above-average surprising quickness to go along with his size and strength, which allowed him to move pretty well despite his size … Plays with great energy and seems to have decent conditioning to play minutes, despite his added weight … His effort was on display with his plethora of highlight reel come-from-behind chase-down blocks he accumulated over his college career …. Has experience and leadership qualities …

Weaknesses: Lacks great length for a four. 6’10.75 wingspan is solid but not elite for a big … Conditioning still needs to improve … Still must improve upon his jump shot …  Even though he shot 51% from the field in the 2020-2021 season, he shot just 27% from behind the arc … He will not be able to bully weaker defenders in the paint to the same extent at the next level like he did in college ….  But, there is some hope, as Gray’s free throw percentage rose from nearly 70% in 2019-2021 to 76% in 2020-2021. This shows that he has the touch to be an effective shooter, but he still must improve shot selection and body control to shoot on the move … Still a bit of a below the rim player as he would likely benefit by losing 20-30 lbs and gaining more mobility …

Outlook: Projected as a possible mid-second round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft … Started in 52 of the final 58 games he played at Florida State, helped lead them to a 73-20 record in his three seasons, started in all six NCAA tournament games he played in his career, and helped the Seminoles win their first-ever regular-season ACC championship … Hails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL .. the 6’8, 270-pound forward actually played point guard for Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, and helped lead them to a State championship in his junior season back in 2016.

Notes: Measured: 6’6.5” barefoot, 6’7.75” in shoes, 8’9.0” standing reach,  268.6 lbs, 6’10.75” wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine …

Jake Feldman 7/23/21