Strengths
Blalock is a deceptively strong, athletic point guard with a massive (6-6) wingspan for someone his size. Hes a true point guard with strong ball-handling and passing skills. Blalock has a quick first step and does well in the lane, especially excelling on the drive-and-dish, where he uses his good court vision and passing to exploit defensive seams and get the ball to his teammates in open position, either near the basket or on the perimeter. He can take the ball to the basket or pull-up in the lane, having a good touch near the basket and nice elevation and balance on his pull-up jumper. Blalock runs the break just as well as he does a halfcourt set, making good decisions and getting the ball to the open man. Defensively, Blalock is a scrappy defender that uses his length and good hands to harass his opponent.
Weaknesses
Blalocks biggest weakness is his outside jumper. He is an adequate shooter from behind the arc, but lacks consistency and has not shown NBA range. He could be a little more careful passing the ball to cut down on turnovers, though its not a significant problem at all. Blalock struggled from the free-throw line in his junior year, shooting only 66%. Defensively, his team exclusively played zone defense, so its tough to assess how hed adjust to playing man-to-man in the pros. At 60, hes slightly undersized for a point guard, though has the length to partially make up for it.
Competition
Played in the Big 12, and has played heavy minutes since day one at Iowa State.
As a freshman, he averaged 7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 turnovers per game in just under 31 minutes. As a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.5 turnovers in just under 37 minutes per. As a junior, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 3.0 turnovers in 35.7 minutes per game.
Outlook
Blalock, a junior, was a three-year starter for Iowa St., and has improved with each passing year. He played point guard for all three years, though he shared the ball-handling duties with fellow backcourt mate Curtis Stinson. Blalock is much more of a pure point guard than Stinson, was the primary ball-handler for Iowa St., and should not have a problem making the transition to point guard in the pros. He should get drafted somewhere in the second round, and has a good enough combination of skill and physical attributes to be a good backup point guard in the NBA, should he reach his potential.
Blalock is a deceptively strong, athletic point guard with a massive (6-6) wingspan for someone his size. Hes a true point guard with strong ball-handling and passing skills. Blalock has a quick first step and does well in the lane, especially excelling on the drive-and-dish, where he uses his good court vision and passing to exploit defensive seams and get the ball to his teammates in open position, either near the basket or on the perimeter. He can take the ball to the basket or pull-up in the lane, having a good touch near the basket and nice elevation and balance on his pull-up jumper. Blalock runs the break just as well as he does a halfcourt set, making good decisions and getting the ball to the open man. Defensively, Blalock is a scrappy defender that uses his length and good hands to harass his opponent.
Weaknesses
Blalocks biggest weakness is his outside jumper. He is an adequate shooter from behind the arc, but lacks consistency and has not shown NBA range. He could be a little more careful passing the ball to cut down on turnovers, though its not a significant problem at all. Blalock struggled from the free-throw line in his junior year, shooting only 66%. Defensively, his team exclusively played zone defense, so its tough to assess how hed adjust to playing man-to-man in the pros. At 60, hes slightly undersized for a point guard, though has the length to partially make up for it.
Competition
Played in the Big 12, and has played heavy minutes since day one at Iowa State.
As a freshman, he averaged 7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 turnovers per game in just under 31 minutes. As a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.5 turnovers in just under 37 minutes per. As a junior, he averaged 15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 3.0 turnovers in 35.7 minutes per game.
Outlook
Blalock, a junior, was a three-year starter for Iowa St., and has improved with each passing year. He played point guard for all three years, though he shared the ball-handling duties with fellow backcourt mate Curtis Stinson. Blalock is much more of a pure point guard than Stinson, was the primary ball-handler for Iowa St., and should not have a problem making the transition to point guard in the pros. He should get drafted somewhere in the second round, and has a good enough combination of skill and physical attributes to be a good backup point guard in the NBA, should he reach his potential.
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