A scouting report on NBA draft prospect Isaiah Collier:
- Position: Point guard
- Height: 6-2.5 (without shoes)
- Weight: 205 pounds
- College: USC
Strengths
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Collier’s strength is exceptional for a 19-year-old point guard and he uses that standout tool to amplify many of his other talents.
Collier can brush off contact, score through traffic in the paint, and find fruitful angles in the pick-and-roll even when he doesn’t gain an initial edge.
Collier averaged an impressive 5.8 free throw attempts. Immediately after returning from a midseason right hand injury, he racked up 31 foul shots over his next two outings.
In his one college season, Collier posted 16.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds per contest. His assist numbers would’ve been loftier on a better team than the 15-18 Trojans. Collier showed he can read the low man in the pick-and-roll, spot open cutters, and throw a variety of high-level passes.
Weaknesses
Like many young ball handlers, Collier is refining his decision-making and sense of which risks are worth taking. He committed at least four turnovers in each of his first six college games. To his credit, Collier’s assist-to-turnover stats significantly improved after he came back from his injury; he averaged 4.5 assists and 2.8 turnovers over USC's final 11 games.
Collier’s shooting mechanics do not appear especially consistent. He shot 67.3 percent from the foul line and 33.8 percent from three-point range (on 3.0 attempts per game). He’ll need to earn defenses’ respect as a shooter in the NBA and prove he’s not a player you can afford to give space or defend with a deep drop in pick-and-roll coverage.
Though he nabbed 2.0 steals per 40 minutes and registered some highlights on defense, Collier was widely criticized for his defensive performances. And when he falls behind drivers or gets caught on screens, he doesn’t have great length (6-4.75 wingspan) to help him recover.
Fit
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey picked a former five-star recruit and freshman guard who surprisingly slid in the 2020 draft.
In those ways, Collier would be a similar sort of selection to Tyrese Maxey. Collier likely wouldn’t be expected to jump in and fill a crucial role on a contender right away. Still, if a player with Collier’s considerable talent slips to No. 16, perhaps the Sixers will snag him.