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1 - Jonathan Isaac

6-10, 210 Small Forward/Power Forward
Florida St. Freshman
Birthday
10/03/97 (26.5 yrs)
Hometown
Naples, FL
High School
IMG Academy
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
9
Size
9
Defense
8
Strength
7
Quickness
8
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
9
NBA Ready
7
Ball Handling
8
Potential
9
Passing
NA
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: Rashard Lewis/Kevin Durant

Strengths: A "tantalizing" prospect, Isaac has a rare combination of size, length, and fluidity for wing player, in many ways similar to Kevin Durant at the same age from a physical and skill standpoint; at 6’10.5” with a 9’0.5” standing reach … He has the size to play the four (and possibly even 5) when necessary and be a presence inside once his frame fills out, but he also runs the floor like a natural wing player … Isaac has long strides, is light on his feet, and can get up and down the floor in a hurry … He has uncommon quickness for a player his size, which he utilizes very well when cutting off the ball to lose his man and create easy looks … Isaac is a quick jumper and shows good vertical explosion, particularly off of two feet when he has momentum to the basket … His length and athleticism also point towards potential as a rebounder … He showed flashes on the glass regularly at Florida State, averaging 9.6 rebounds per 40 minutes, and should develop into an even more potent rebounder as he matures … On the perimeter, he can be a mismatch, as his size and length give him the ability to get his shot off over just about any wing defender … Isaac’s jumper looks promising and should become even more dangerous with time and repetition … He is not going to be a 40-plus percent shooter from three-point land right away, but he has clearly established himself as a threat from outside (1.7 made threes per 40 minutes) with the ability to make tough pull-ups and fadeaways … Isaac is also a sound ball-handler and despite not having carte blanche at Florida State, he has shown the ability to create his own shot with a variety of moves … His ability to pull up off the dribble is extremely intiguing … He utilizes hesitations, crossovers and step backs with crisp footwork to blow by or separate into a jump shot … These flashes of shot creation at his size fuel his scoring potential and drive his potential through the roof … He does not have the most advanced feel for the game yet, but he also shows flashes as a facilitator … As a shooter he is a bit streaky but shows good shot preparation and balance with a high release … He has excellent slashing ability as well and does a great job attacking closeouts with long strides … Isaac also has a quick first step and a strong rip through move that gives him good momentum when driving to the basket … However, he is more than just a straight-line driver; he does a great job of changing speeds and directions with a variety of dribble moves, and he has excellent hip mobility … He can also shoot over the top of smaller defenders while posting up with his size and length … His size also helps him as a passer, as he can see over the top of most defenders; and has good vision … The potential for Isaac as a defensive stopper is also very intriguing … He has the tools to eventually become a player that can lock down multiple positions … He moves laterally quite well and should become a valuable switchman off the pick and roll … He has the agility and foot speed to contain smaller players on the perimeter but also has the size and reach to give bigger players a hard time down low … He is not ready to play down low regularly, but he is long and agile enough to provide glimpses of rim protection when needed to play the 4 …  He is a late bloomer that was a 6’3” guard in high school and is just scratching the surface of his abilities … Players with his combination of size, length, fluidity, and skill are extremely rare, and he will be a great fit in today’s NBA … If he can put it all together, he will be a star … Isaac’s overall upside is off the charts and may be higher than any player in this draft, and in the right situation he may ultimately end up the best player …

Weaknesses: Isaac still has not grown into his own body yet, and is very thin for his size at only 205 pounds … He has a lot of skill but has to rely on finesse a bit too often rather than physicality … He struggles on the interior as a 4 man due to a lack of strength and toughness, and he can be pushed out of his spots pretty easily on offense … For example, he lacks the core strength to get all the way to the rim against physical defenders and can get knocked off course, especially when he elevates … Isaac has a tendency to shy away from contact and often will not explode all the way to the rim even when he has his man beat … On the interior he struggles to hold his position when posting up and will settle for fall away jumpers rather than getting to the basket … Though he has potential on defense, he allows himself to be screened easily and lacks the physicality to fight through screens … He also lacks the strength to guard the post with consistency, which limits his ability to play the four regularly … His lack of strength also affects him on the glass, where he can get bullied often and pushed out of position … He also does not always box out and relies too much on his length to track down misses … He still needs to become a more consistent shooter to become a truly reliable threat from the outside, and he is not a great ball handler under pressure … He has a tendency to settle for tough jumpers even when he has an open lane … He does not always read and react to the defense well and can waste dribbles without covering any ground … He may be best suited as a mismatch four man at the next level rather than a pure wing player, as he has a solid handle but does not always get somewhere with the dribble … He needs to become stronger with the ball as well … Isaac has good vision with the potential to become a solid playmaker, but right now his timing and accuracy are not great, and he can put his teammates in bad spots at times … He can also improve his discipline on the defensive end … He will bite on too many fakes on the perimeter and takes poor angles on the ball … He gets lost off the ball too often and needs to do a better job of seeing his man and the ball simultaneously … Isaac has loads of talent, but he has a bad habit of disappearing for stretches, especially after a bad play or two … He can improve his ability to move on to the next play … He will need to learn to stay locked in and focused for the entire game to become more consistent and reach his full potential … While his ceiling is substantial, his readiness is not where some of his peers in this draft are at, giving him a bigger basement as well, and greater risk …

Notes: Son of Jackie Allen … Jonathan is one of six children in his family … Has one older sister (Kalilah, 24), two older brothers (Jacob, 21 and Joel, 20) and two younger brothers (Winston, 17 and Jeremiah, 7)… His biggest influences are his Mom, his coaches and his faith … Favorite NBA player is Kevin Durant … A native of the Bronx in New York City … Selected Florida State over Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Louisville, Wisconsin, Miami, Wake Forest, Stanford and LSU … Earned All-ACC Honorable Mention and All-ACC Freshman Team honors…Named the ACC Rookie of the Week twice … Many scouts feel he compares favorably to 2016 #2 overall pick Brandon Ingram …

William Desautelle III 5/24/17

Strengths: 6’10 versatile forward … Great size and length for the perimeter. Good athleticism. Very fluid and coordinated … Runs the floor like a guard and has great mobility … Good ball handling ability, can create off the dribble … Smooth shooting stroke with proper shot rotation, good from midrange and can extend to the three point line … Shoots well off the catch as well as off the dribble. Can score off of step backs and fade aways … Can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim … Can score inside and out … Good defensive ability and versatility … Moves his feet well laterally … Goes hard for loose balls and rebounds … Solid passing ability and court vision … Hit a six inch growth spurt and is a very late bloomer … Still learning the game and has great long term potential …

Weaknesses: Lacks much strength in both the lower and upper body … Has a slight frame. Shows long term potential to defend multiple positions but struggles keeping position defending the post, causing him to pick up fouls. Struggles with physical play … Improving his post-game would make him more dangerous around the basket especially when matched up with a smaller opponent … Can improve his left hand … May still be a year away from being "ready" to fully impact the college level …

Outlook: Isaac is one of the most intriguing prospects in the nation. After growing and maintaining his coordination, he positioned himself towards the top of his class … Thanks to a breakout summer over the Nike EYBL, Isaac jumped up the ranks and will be playing for Florida State this upcoming season.

Notes: Measured 6’10’’ in shoes, with a 7’0’’ wingspan and 185 lbs at the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy …

Evan Tomes 10/28/16

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