Isaish Collier was thought of being the #1 high school player last year. He had a slow start, but is coming around and expected to be picked around #11. Do the Jazzwant Collier......a QUICK PG
https://www.nbadraft.net/players/isaiah-collier/NBA Comparison: Jeff Teague/Eric Bledsoe
Strengths: Collier is a 6’4 215 PG/SG with a chiseled, NBA-ready frame on the perimeter, as well as very good speed, body control and burst … Physical and sturdy guard who seeks contact and has the strength to steamroll matchups on his way to the rim; is at his best getting downhill slashing to the basket looking to score or drive and dish (16.3 PG & 4.3 APG as a Fr.) … Very powerful first step and his nice ball-handling ability with either hand make him tough to contain and allow him to turn corners and pressure the rim … Looks really good in transition; consistently keeps guys on their heels in the open floor…More of a score-first guard than a playmaker, but has shown some signs of adequate floor vision with the ability to drop off some nicely timed passes to cutters or bigs rolling to the basket … Capable of making some big-time passes and is particularly effective rewarding players who run the floor with hit ahead passes … Can effectively convert at the rim through contact (54 FG% inside the arc) and draws fouls at a high level already (nearly 6 FTA/G) … Will make tricky lay-ins and does a good job using the rim and backboard to shield the ball from potential shot-blockers…Has some shiftiness to him and will subtly get space utilizing hesitation moves when guarded too closely … Promising pick-and-roll ability and poses a threat for big men to handle when they switch onto him…Applies pressure when he has the ball and will eat up space even when defenders sag off at times…Promising ability to post up smaller players … Efficient scorer (49 FG% on 11.6 FTA/G); had seven games that he scored at least 20 points in and only took 20 shots in one of those games … Shoots passing lanes and forces turnovers that lead to runouts (1.5 SPG) … Has the tools to matchup well defensively on the perimeter, particularly in the backcourt … Competitive with some leadership qualities you look for in a lead guard prospect … Played some of his best, most clean basketball down the stretch of the season after returning from an injury (1/11 games with 5+ turnovers post-injury, compared to 5/16 games pre-injury) … High floor prospect who could serve as an effective instant offense piece even if he isn’t quite ready or doesn’t work as a teams floor general …
Weaknesses: His ability to pick his spots and process things against set defenses are a work in progress for a lead guard … Currently tends to try to strong-arm his way to where he wants to go on the court rather than taking what the defense gives him, which leads to some unsightly possessions, bad turnovers and offensive fouls (3.3 TOPG) … Fundamentals can stand to tighten up as well; sometimes is loose and too casual with his handle and delivering passes, particularly when the defense blitzes him or collapses the paint … Jump shot will need to improve to maximize his offensive game (34 3FG% on 3 3FGA/G)…Showed some raw flashes of shot-making ability at the beginning of the season but lost effectiveness and confidence as the season wore on (only made multiple 3-pointers in 5 games) … Fundamentals need work here too, as he does not get much elevation on his shot and uses mostly upper body, which leads to him having a rather erratic follow-through even when his feet are set … Sporadically hit shots pulling up from mid-range but needs to do so more often…FT numbers were not so great for a guard as a Fr (68 FT%), which further illustrate his mediocre shooting and somewhat nullified the very good rate that he took trips to the charity stripe … Has the tools to be effective on defense and even was pesky when dialed in, but once again his fundamentals need considerable work on this end, as well as his awareness … Struggled to deny penetration and navigate screens as a Fr., mostly due to closing out on the perimeter too upright in stance and leaving himself out of position to resist dribble penetration … Can be a bit handsy defensively at times too (2.4 FPG) … Adequate leaping ability but he isn’t the most explosive vertical athlete …
Overall: Collier was a blue chip 5-star prospect out of the Atlanta area who was ranked the #1 player in the 2023 Class by multiple recruiting services … He committed to Andy Enfield and USC early in his Sr season of HS and was part of a top 3 ranked class that included highly-regarded prospects Bronny James and HS teammate Arrington Page among others … Though he had some down moments, Collier made an immediate impact with his mature build and aggressive play style as an All Pac 12 Freshman Team performer in what can be categorized as a down year for USC as a team, partially due to injuries (including to Collier, who missed a month of the conference slate due to a hand injury) … He brings ready made physical tools, promising scoring ability, pick and roll skills, transition play and flashes of really nice passing to the table as a young prospect right now … How his jump shot, decision-making and fundamentals/polish on both ends of the court round out and improve over time will determine if he reaches the potential that saw many peg him as a favorite to be the 1st pick in the 2024 Draft before the season started, though his turnovers did drop a bit after he returned from his hand injury … He’s fun to watch when he’s on his game (ie his 18 point 5 assist game against KState or his 31 point outburst against Washington) and he’s a huge threat in the open court which projects well to the wide open style in the NBA … Collier draft stock isn’t likely in the neighborhood of being the 1st pick as it was maybe this time last year, but he probably is still in good position to be a lottery selection in 2024 …