Jack-of-all-trades, master of none is a figure of speech, that describes a person who is competent with many skills, but is not very good with one particular skill.

Boris Diaw was a compensation throw-in from the Atlanta Hawks for the Joe Johnson signing. In Phoenix, Diaw flourished into Fantasy Gold and was truly a jack-of-all-trades. He can shoot, rebound, pass, and play defense.  Diaw’s position versatility was a major attraction to fantasy owners as he had eligibility to play in SG, SF, PF, and C slots.  Diaw’s versatility was necessary with Amare Stoudemire sidelined for most of last season.  Diaw’s play did not go unnoticed; he won the Most Improved Player award last year. Now with Amare Stoudemire back this season what impact will Diaw have on the court and your fantasy team?

Round 4, Pick 7: Boris Diaw, PF/C, Phoenix Suns

Let’s compare the averages of Boris Diaw from his last season in Atlanta (’04-‘05) and his first season in Phoenix (’05-’06):

2004 – 4.8 ppg, 2.3 apg, 2.6 rpg, 0.56 spg, 0.27 bpg, 1.32 topg, 42.2 FG%, 74.0 FT%
2005 - 13.3 ppg, 6.2 apg, 6.9 rpg, 0.72 spg, 1.1 bpg, 2.33 topg, 52.6 FG%, 73.1 FT%

Diaw’s success was with Amare out of the lineup. It would be foolish to think that Diaw will have the same success with Amare back in the line-up. Let’s take a look at Diaw’s stats in the 3 games that Amare played in March 06.

03/23/06 – 4 pts, 6 assists, 5 rebs, 1 block, 1 TO, 50.0 FG%
03/25/06 – 13 pts, 13 assists, 8 rebs, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 TO, 57.1 FG%
03/27/06 - 8 pts, 6 assists, 4 rebs, 1 steal, 2 TO, 28.6%

The return of Amare will impact Diaw the most in the Sun’s frontcourt.  Shawn Marion will still get his shots and will continue to fill the box score. It seems that Diaw will be the “point-forward” setting up the cutting Marion or Amare, so you can expect a nice bump to his 6.2 assists/game.  Diaw will take a hit on his scoring and rebounds because it will be Amare and Marion getting most of the shots and crashing the boards. Diaw’s hustle numbers will remain the same from last year averaging about a block and a steal per game.

This upcoming season, Diaw should average about 10 ppg, 7 apg, 5 rpg, 1 spg, 1 bpg, 50 FG%.

Diaw will no longer be as versatile as he was last season, at least fantasy-wise, as he is now only PF and C eligible. This is still good when you compare the amount of C who could average close to 7 assists.  Yeah, it’s none. And if Amare misses any time due to injuries then you can expect Diaw to produce numbers similar to last year’s averages. 

Final Word:

Boris Diaw will still be the jack-of-all-trades this year. Diaw will still fill up the categories, however, he will score and rebound less with Amare back, affecting the frontcourt rotation. However, Diaw will make a perfect complement to any team playing “small ball” like the Suns play.

Other team members

1.6. Dwyane Wade, SG/PG, Miami Heat
2.7. Jermaine O’Neal, PF/C, Indiana Pacers
3.6. Jason Richardson, SG, Golden State Warriors