Scouting Report: Kerry Blackshear
Got a few requests to make a report on Kerry Blackshear and it’s time to pay my dues. He is averaging 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in Israeli league and had a monster game with 34 points and 14 rebounds against Ness Ziona a few weeks ago.
BACKGROUND INFO
Position: PF
Height: 208 cm (6 ft 10 in)
Date of Birth: 28/1/1997
Nationality: American
Previous clubs:
N/A
Played for Virginia Tech in NCAA and for Florida Gators in his last season of eligibility. Averaged 6.2 points as a freshman and was forced to redshirt his sophmore season because of a foot injury. After that he was averaginh 12.4 points and almost 6 rebounds and 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in his sophomer and junior years and 12.8 and 7.5 rebounds for Florida in his senior year. This season is his rookie season in Europe.
VIDEO REPORT:
OFFENSE
Post Up: Kerry has a great size for a power forward and with his wide frame he loves to play on low post with back to the basket. Even though low post game is almost a lost art in nowadays basketball, Kerry can give his team a new dimension with playing down low. His spin to his right is pretty good and is showing some good backboard touch. Sometimes his gravity point is too high so he can lose his balance and make a turnover. Has a solid shot and can try some fadeaway shots out of post up situations but fadeaway shots are not really his strength so far.
Pick & Rolls: Kerry is showing some nice potential is his pick & roll game. With his strong body he can set hard screens and also rolls pretty good to the rim. His court awareness and basketball IQ are good enough to read the situation where it’s wiser to roll or pop. Also showing some good feel for cuts and follows the game well and with a good pick & roll initiator, he could bring his pick & roll numbers to an even higher level.
Shooting: Where Kerry has a lot of space to improve is definitely his shot from distance. Not that he is a bad shooter, he is a decent one for his size, but in my opinion he could improve in this area to a higher level and be a bigger and more reliable threat behind the arc.
This season he made 26 out of 58 threes but this sample size is too small for any bigger conclusions. He was a 30% three point shooter in his college days and I think these percentages are more representative. His release could be quicker since he sometimes thinks too much if shot or not and that messes his shooting routine. At the moment shooting only when completely open but if he manages to improve to be an 35%+ three point shooter, his market value would increase by a lot.
Offensive Rebounding: Offensive rebounding is also something where Kerry has a lot to offer. He has a great feel for rebounds and goes for them, not just waiting for the ball to come down. He is not an elite athlete with an explosive vertical pop but with his high reach he can grab some rebounds in offense. His determination, instincts and size are the main factors for his rebounding numbers and he can help in rebounding on any level.
Transition: As mentioned before, he doesn’t stand out athletically and is not an above average athlete but still can run the floor well. I would love to see him run in transition more often and outrun other bigs but in those few possessions that I saw, he knew his lane in transition and ran directly under the rim. I think there are some reserves here and that he is capable of shifting to a higher gear and run a little faster because on higher level the transition defense is better and he won’t be able to score so easily in transition with this speed.
DEFENSE
Rim Protection: Again, lacks athleticism and explosiveness to block many shots at the rim but usually stands still and tries to contest them the best way possible. Even though his shot blocking numbers are not the highest, he is using his size and length well with contesting the shots and disrupting the offensive player from easy shots at the rim.
Perimeter defense: Kerry is showing some switchability potential. His legs are not the quickest and again his high gravity point is causing him some troubles. With his size and length he can cover a decent amount of ground and defend some players on perimeter and not letting them get to the rim so easily but still has room to improve as a pick & roll defender.
Rebounding: I already mentioned in the offensive rebounding section in offense that he is a good rebounder because of his determination, instincts and size and I can repeat the same on the defensive end too. Averages 7.9 rebounds per game in Israeli League.
SUMMARY
Kerry Blackshear has great size for his position and with a few improvements in next years he could definitely go to a higher level. Lack of athleticism is pretty obvious but he knows how to use his strong body on post ups and replaces the lack of explosiveness with his strength.
He needs to improve his shot to be a more consistent shooting threat in offense and operate as a stretch big, something similar as Trey Thompkins from Real Madrid.
I’m not sure if he is ready for a much higher level at the moment but he is still young and if he improves his game every year, he could get there in a matter of a few years.
