Where did the athleticism go?

Prob because his vert was never 44..just a rumor. More than likely it was 33-35 max( played against him when he played out in Utah. could jump but no where near 44

Jail doesn’t help.

i think a lot of players change the way they play as time goes on. if you go in trying to dunk on someone every opportunity you get 4-5 years down the line you wont be the same. i think tyreke evans understands that already. he uses craft and his strength to score at the rim rather than trying to jump over/into guys. there was a block that tyreke had against the celtics on a breakaway layup that he pinned against the rim that sure shocked the hell out of me seeing how he was able to get to the ball quick enough from behind to be able to pin it like that. i think he has pretty good athleticism, he just doesnt exhibit it like d rose or d wade or those guys.

Weed.

Athleticism fades as a player gets older. Rarely do you see a player improve in athleticism for basketball purposes past a certain age. Not to mention, I HIGHLY doubt Stevenson had a 44 inch vert. The kid could fly, but past the age of around 25, most people peak athletically. Not everyone, but most people. Remember though, the NBA is full of the most athletic basketball players in the world, who are big and strong. Chances are, if D-Steve could jump 44, than he was not alone. It just shows how incredible you have to be as an athlete and how skilled you have to be as a player. Stevenson was and still is a very strong athlete, but he is a streaky shooter and did not seem to possess the ability of creating his own shots on a consistent basis.

Lebron has a higher vert so he shouldn’t be like Deshawn. everyone loses there athletic ability eventually. Usually once they get 30 plus

Cocaines a hell of a drug

@ memphistyga23

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/measurements.php?page=&year=2009&source=All&sort2=DESC&draft=0&pos=0&sort=2

tyrekes no step vertical is (or was) 28.5 and his max vert was 34… tell me again the he has no athleticism

Did this guy just say WEED? I’m assuming you’ve never smoked, but I get HIGH.

@Adi Joseph "Jail doesn’t help."

Jail if anything would benefit athletisism not hurt it. All you do in jail is workout…. Thats 100% dedication to conditioning.

@Adi Joseph "Jail doesn’t help."

Jail if anything would benefit athletisism not hurt it. All you do in jail is workout…. Thats 100% dedication to conditioning.

I agree jail would help, anybody see how michael vick played this year? lol

 Just from personal experience as someone who has been an athlete my whole life and continued to train into my late 20’s (I’ll be 29 in June and am close to the same age as DeShawn).  Your strength continues to increase as you get older (up until about 35-40 from what I’ve read), but you do lose a little explosiveness and jumping ability.

 My vertical was at it’s highest when I was around 19-22 years old, and although it’s not bad now, I’ve probably lost about 2 or 3 inches since my early 20’s and that can make a lot of difference. Sure, every once in a while I get a great leap, but being able to consistantly jump like I used to just isn’t the same.  Thats just a part of aging, I’m not a pro athlete, but thats just my input as an athletic guy who is the same age as Stevenson.  A lot of my other friends who were former athletes have said their experiences are about the same.

It is all the accumulation of miles, bumps, bruises, and injuries that come with the NBA. It isn’t age. This is the fallacy of how long a guy stays in college and not getting that year back financially. An NBA season ages a player differently than a college or European one.