What is DJ's ceiling?

[LACtdom]

Is it just me or after seeing DJ turn into a defensive machine in a single off-season, I am a bit puzzled at why one of the most athletic Centers in the NBA can't develop some offensive moves and become a bit more of an all round package. I'm more than willing to give DJ the max if he is willing to keep improving. Due to his large hand size I understand why he sucks at FT's but surely there are other things he can do to improve.

[mattd13]

dj is basically a role player. his job is defense and rebounding and I do not believe he can be much of a scorer. however his improvement can come with his effort in his role. he must buy in to kicking it every play or he will just be what you see now. not a night in night out dominate player. at this point not a max guy.

[QRich3]

He never turned into a defensive machine, that's what we wish he does some day. He blocks shots and rebounds a lot, and has gotten better at trapping the pick'n'roll. There's a long way from that to being an elite defensive player.

On the other hand, I feel like everyone ignores how GREAT he is on offense. Why on earth would anyone want him to have post moves when he's the best low-usage offensive 5th man you can wish for? He's better for this team than a skilled center like Vucevic or Al Jefferson would ever be. We have 2 of the best offensive players in the game, and both need to have the ball in their hands a lot to be effective. We don't need more on-the-ball-scorers, we need guys who can score efficiently with very few touches, and guys who have enough gravity to always drag a defender with them when they move to their spots, so they can space the floor when Paul & Blake are running a P&R.

Zach Lowe had a great point the other day on how people take for granted how easy guys like him and Chandler make the "roll to the basket for a lob" move. How the Bucks have spent years trying to make Larry Sanders understand how important it is for him to quickly roll to the basket after setting the pick, even if he's not gonna receive the ball 85% of the time. And how Sanders and the majority of the centers in the league do it in a half-assed way, since they don't see the point of putting all that effort for a small chance of touching the ball. But it is really important to drag that defender inside for spacing to work well. Spacing is not just 3PT shooters dragging their man out, it's also inside players dragging their man far from those 3PT shooters. And again, Deandre may be one of the best centers ever at that role.

But yeah, about his ceiling, his absolute best case scenario is to turn into an actual defensive machine, a perennial DPOY candidate capable of anchoring an elite offense nearly by himself, like Dwight did on some of those Orlando years. Add that to his already elite role-playing offensive game, and he can easily be the second best player on a championship team.

[og15]

I think this might be his realistic ceiling that we're seeing right now, but he could still get better

[pageC4]

I think this might be his realistic ceiling that we're seeing right now, but he could still get better

Agreed. Now the question is: What does a player that averages 9.6 PPG, 13.6 RPG, and 2.3 BPG deserve? To put it in perspective Marc Gasol earns $15 million per year, Demarcus Cousins earns $13 million per year, and Dwight Howard earns $21 million per year...these are some of the elite, and they are the guys that have an offensive game to match that salary. I think Deandre is making around $11 million per year. I would be comfortable giving Deandre anywhere between 9-12 million per year, if he commands any more then that hampers our ability to sign a quality SF

[thanumba2clippersfan]

I agree with OG15, I think DJs game probably won't change much until he loses his athleticism. My hope is that he becomes an elite defender and DPOY. We'll see how his career finishes up.

[Forte IV]

Athletic Dennis Rodman without the craziness.

[TucsonClip]

Yeah, I believe DJ is at, or near his ceiling, but can still improve his defensive awareness.

If this is his ceiling, that is fine, because he is one of the best defensive centers in the league.

[MartinToVaught]

He's reached his ceiling, and it's not worth the max. He's great at regular-season rebounding, good defensively (would be elite if he could guard any of the offensively-skilled players at his position), can't make a free throw, can't do much else besides dunking on offense, total no-show in the playoffs against other starting centers.

Giving him the max would be a sentimental move, but in reality that money would be better allocated to a starting small forward and a role player at center.

Also, just a thought: maybe not having DJ around as a crutch anymore would force Blake to get back to rebounding like he did early on in his career and actually commit to being a good defender.

[MartinToVaught]

Why on earth would anyone want him to have post moves when he's the best low-usage offensive 5th man you can wish for? He's better for this team than a skilled center like Vucevic or Al Jefferson would ever be.

Problem is, he wants a max contract. A max player either needs to be a LOT more than a low-usage 5th man on offense or a prime Ben Wallace-level defender to make up for his lack of an offensive game. DJ is neither, and for a team that has arguably the worst rotation in the league at the most important position in the league (small forward), it's hard to justify giving the max to such a limited player at a less important position.