Here is a description of Jameer Nelson's game:
+ Small, strong pick-and-roll point guard who shoots very well off dribble.
+ Can take hit and finish despite size. Solid, steady passer and ballhandler.
+ Size an issue on defense but otherwise capable. Foul-prone. Strong leader.
Four of the past five Nelson seasons have been virtually identical, with his 2008-09 All-Star campaign a glaring outlier. At this point, it's safe to say this is what he is -- a solid starting point guard but not any kind of star. At age 29, he's now hitting the next phase: working to maintain his play at this level in the face of Father Time. Age is normally particularly unkind to undersized players because they depend on their speed, but Nelson shoots well enough that he may hold off the decline another year or two.
Nelson's percentages on long 2s have bounced up and down like a yo-yo the past few years, but last season he stabilized at 41 percent. Combined with his 40 percent shooting on 3s, that makes him a very strong perimeter threat, especially since so many of his tries are off the dribble. Nelson is also a strong finisher for a little guy, converting 59.2 percent at the rim; overall he ranked in the top third of point guards in true shooting percentage and pure point rating while averaging a healthy 17.5 points per 40 minutes.
Defensively Nelson's strength partly offsets his lack of size, but also fouls a lot and gets fewer steals than you'd prefer -- only nine point guards fouled more frequently. His other defensive stats put him in the middle of the point guard pack; his biggest problem isn't post-ups, which he can ward off with a combination of superior strength and the fact that Dwight Howard is behind him, but close-outs, as he just doesn't have the length to bother shooters. In a related story, Nelson blocked three shots the entire season.
