CAMDEN, N.J. — A pre-draft workout can leave a lasting impression. In the case of Jaron Blossomgame, his trip to Philadelphia in 2016 was strong enough to garner another call this summer.
Blossomgame worked out for the Sixers last May before deciding to return to Clemson for his senior season. The team kept an eye on the 6-foot-7, 214-pound forward and brought him back for Monday’s session.
“What stands out with him always is energy,” Sixers senior director of basketball operations Vince Rozman said. “First of all, he looks like an NBA player. You walk into the gym, you kind of know what you're going to get. He just plays hard. He's active defensively. He's all over the glass. He's improving skill-wise. He can make shots. He can put the ball on the deck a little bit.”
Blossomgame averaged 17.7 points (49.9 percent from the field, 25.5 percent from three), 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season. His numbers actually dipped in his fourth year from 18.7 points, 51.3 percent from the floor and 44.6 percent from long-range as a junior. The Sixers had seen enough from his 128 collegiate games, though, to get an overview of the projected second-round pick's fundamentals and potential.
“Some of the sample sizes from year-to-year are so small, you just kind of try to look at form, consistency with that, confidence,” Rozman said. “ A lot of it is projection. His four years are good. He had a great year last year, or two years ago, shooting. But a lot of it is just form.”
Returning for his senior year wasn’t about boosting his offensive numbers. Blossomgame focused on the coveted skillset of defending multiple positions, including the one, two and the three spots. He also guarded power forwards through point guards when his team switched on ball screens.
“Defensively, that’s where I’m going to make my mark in the NBA as a rookie,” he said. “The way the NBA is going right now you need guys my size, multi-position guys who can defend multiple guys. You see what the Golden State Warriors are doing putting smaller more physical wings at fours and fives with guys that can transition to any position. That’s something I want to show in my workouts.”
Blossomgame envisions his style of play to fit in with the Sixers’ uptempo system.
“I like it a lot, obviously being an athlete, playing transition, being able to shoot, space the floor,” he said. “It starts with the defensive end, and for a guy like myself who can get stops and get in transition to play.”
Blossomgame still had workouts remaining with the Hornets, Hawks, Pacers, Bucks and Nuggets after the Sixers. He has just over a week to show teams what he can do in the NBA, some for the second time.
“He's a competitor,” Rozman said. “It's pretty straightforward for him.”