[Wavy BagelsParticipant]

Which position would consider Al Jefferson to be? He lacks the lateral qucikness of a PF, but possess the offensive skillset/footwork of a PF. He has the body of a C, but doesn’t defend at a respectable rate. Is he a PF? C? or a combo of both?

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I really think it just depends on the matchup and who’s on your roster. He can play both positions offensively, but defends the center position better. He’s actually a decent shot blocker.

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

I think he is more of a PF, but he is very versatile. He can play either the Center or PF positions. Personally I think he plays the PF best. He sure puts up a lot of offensively, and doesn’t do very much defensively (except for block shots) To me a Center is supposed to be very defensive and be able the other team from getting too many easy baskets. The PF needs to help with that too but mainly it is the center’s job. He has been forced to play center most of his career though, thanks to Kevin Love in Minnesota, and Okur being injured in Utah. Now that Utah has Kanter though, you might see him play more PF than C but don’t count on it. Kanter is just a rookie, so he might not even start his rookie year at all, but I do think eventually Jefferson will switch more to a PF role than a Center role.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I think he’s best at center…

Fans in Utah thought they were getting a power forward who was an upgraded version of Boozer, but they found out quickly that what they got was a low post center. Jefferson isn’t great in the pick and pop (despite having a decent mid-range shot) and is only just solid in the pick and roll. He’s very skilled, but he’s the type of player you dump the ball into and send cutters around him. That’s his strength… His back to the basket game.

He’s not a paint protector as a center, but he’s better offensively as a center. I thought he played really well in Minnesota when he played alongside Hollins. Jefferson was still the center point on the block offensively, but Hollins protected the basket at the defensive end… I think Jefferson still defended the center spot for defensive reasons, but Hollins just protected the basket from the weakside.

[Cardinal_FanParticipant]

 Undersized center imo

[chevilicousParticipant]

In utah he is definately the center, you will probably see favors starting next to him this season, as this was their best lineup all year with favors making up for allot of Jeffersons defensive deficiency’s.

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

 hes just a "big" depends on matchups…good rebounder and decent defender

[omphalosParticipant]

I also think he’d be best served as a C, but really it all comes down to who is matched up with. I was thinking about it and he might be a nice piece for Charlotte if they can put together a trade for him; Biyombo is defensively oriented and should cover some of Al’s deficiences, along with Tyrus Thomas, whereas Jefferson would be able to give them low-post scoring. With the amount of young PF/Cs they have in Utah, it’s hard to see Jefferson sticking around too long, and Charlotte would be an ideal destination. They could probably package Augustin, Diaw’s expiring contract and maybe a second-round pick for him.

[M-DYMESParticipant]

He is a "black hole", I’ve labeled him that on many occassions.  When the ball goes in it isn’t coming out.  He has a great post game, but once he gets the ball in his hands he rarely looks to kick it out for a 3 if he’s trapped or finding a cutting teammate.  He is arguably the best 1 on 1 low post player in the league offensively, but he isn’t the greatest defender or teammate (from an on court perspective). 

If Boston would not have had to have given up him in the deal for KG, I think he would have been the perfect compliment to KG.  KG could handle D and stretch the floor with that midrange game at the 4.  Then Big Al would have been able to dominate down low on the block and follow up the misses.  

Big Al needs a complimentary big who can stretch the floor and play D.  If the Jazz could obtain a guy like KG, Tim Duncan, Josh Smith, Kenyon Martin, Andrew Bogut, or Emeka Okafor, they could be an effective combo.  Or hope that Favors develops a J or Kanter becomes a solid defender.  They should be in good position for the future down low with Big Al, Favors, and Kanter though IMO.   In time the later of the 2 will develop and someone should fit well across from Al. 

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

well with Kanter and Favors, it looks like Al and/or Millsap is on the way out…

[iguapops420Participant]

 Big Al is a black hole, but IMO, at the beginning of the season when Deron was still there, Al had actually started making extra passes, finding cutters, and kicking it back out. IMO, Z-Bo was the same kind of player until he found the right coach and a winning environment to get  him in gear. IMO, Al could be terrific on a team that he was the missing piece. Perhaps even Indy could be a good position.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

I do believe he and Pau are among the 3 top post players in the nba….If Howard  had his footwork..People would have Dwight in the top 8 best centers of all time…

[HitsterParticipant]

Al always seems to be a very good post player who over the last 5 seasons has put up very good stats but each time he has been on a losing season. He almost seems like a pre Memphis Zach Randolph minus the attitude negatives whereby he can put up 20/10 but it’s never on a winning team.

Al has great offence, decent conditioning, one of the best post games amongst NBA bigs and good hands for a guy his size. His defence may need some work on but apart from that his overall game is very solid but he never seems to make a team much better and almost seems a better fantasy league player than what his stats can bring his team resultswise.

Hopefully alongside either Kanter or Favours going forward Utah will find the right mix to get results from Big Al’s impressive production. Also being one of the senior players on a semi competitive team might bring the best out of him.

But I still wonder if he might be the sort of player who could never be considered a piece on a true contender as Boston soon made a move for KG after getting Ray Allen so didn’t Danny Ainge consider that Al could be effective long term as a 3rd option behind PP and Ray Allen and with a solid defensive presence in Kendrick Perkins as his frontcourt enforcer. I know it was KG that Boston got and they won the title but Ainge did mortgage their future for instant success.

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

 al jefferson is black…..

but to seriously anwser ur question hes a good player, he has potential to be very good i think… hes a ballhog for sure, average athlete who can post up and face up and has a nice mid range jumper…

rebounding is good and d is alright… for being such an average athlete, hes a good shot blocker

for the first half of last season he wasnt even 100% healthy it seemed…

his numbers sky rocketed in march and feburary

 

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

I’d call him a Center, but that’s due mostly to Favors being best at the 4, and him not complementing Kanter well on the court.  If he were with, say, Chandler or Camby?  He’s a 4.

[aamir543Participant]

"What EXACTLY is Al Jefferson?"

I think he’s human, but then again………………..

[TheLastWordParticipant]

Al made it clear last year he wants to stay at center, so I trust he knows what position he can play best. He is not really undersized. He has a 9’2" standing reach and weighed in at 280 lb last year, thats at least average for the position. The whole stigma of Al’s horrid defense comes from his slow rotations. He does not play pick and rolls well, is always late on rotations, and rarely takes a charge. Part of its slow foot speed, part of its just being a bit slow on reaction time. Next to Favors some of his flaws will be covered up, so could still be a huge piece for the Jazz going forward.

[iguapops420Participant]

 Did Jefferson say something regarding his NBA position or are you assuming this based on him playing center for Utah where he and Millsap was the best players on a horrid team. As far as I can recall, Al always talked about disliking playing out of position and has actually seen his numbers decrease slighty since being pout there out of necessity.

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