JONATHAN ISAAC
BIRTHDATE: 10/3/97
POSITION: Small Forward/ Power Forward
HEIGHT: 6'10"
WEIGHT: 210 lbs
SCHOOL/ TEAM: Florida State
CLASS: Freshman
OFFENSE
*Great size and length for a SF
*More fluid than explosive but a good athlete
*Can finish in traffic with both hands
*Excels on the wing in transition but struggles leading the break himself
*Not comfortable handling the ball or making decisions on the move in the open floor
*Streaky shooter on the catch but knocks down open ones
*Has a good rhythm on one dribble pull ups after the close out
*Willing off ball cutter but can muck up spacing when he gets to fixated on following the ball
*Doesn’t shield the ball well with his body or the basket
*Shows signs he could eventually develop a decent handle in the halfcourt for someone his size but lacks control currently
*Doesn’t have much creativity off the bounce
*Relies mostly on straight line drives from his quick first step
*Rarely used in PNR as a ball handler or screener
*When he has handled it in PNR, he tends to settle for long, contested 2s
*Contact bothers him around the rim but he competes and makes multiple efforts on the offensive glass
*Could eventually be a post threat vs smaller guys
DEFENSE
*Moves his feet very well for his size and has good lateral quickness
*Thin frame leads to him being pushed around a little but he fights hard for position and through screens
*Takes up good help defense positioning and does a good job seeing man and ball
*Can give a cushion and still collect steals and contest shots because of his length
*Does a good job contesting at the rim when his man drives
*As with wings his size, he’s kind of easy to screen but he fights to get back to his man and is a chasedown block threat in pursuit
*Focuses solely on his man in PNR, even when he should probably switch
*Has the length to contest shots in the post but can’t stop anyone from getting to their spot
*Aggressive on closeouts, sometimes overly which leads to blow bys
*Tends to overrotate towards the rim when the ball is near it, susceptible to kick outs
*Could be a 3-4 position defender as he matures
KHAIRI AKILI -
Jonathan Isaac is an intriguing prospect with a nice versatile skill set, loads of talent and potential.
First thing that stands out about Issac is his length and his super skinny frame. I like how he plays tougher than his size. Even though he’s skinny as a rail he competes, plays tough, attacks the glass and has a nose for the basketball.
He clearly needs to get stronger to finish off his drives to the basket and scoring in traffic, but he has a nice handle and displays a good shooting stroke.
Isaac shows a nice hesitation mid range pull up off the dribble that will be tough to stop with his size and length.
My areas of concern are he had quite a few games where he was invisible. For example he had a 23 point 10 rebound and 7 block game vs Notre Dame in January. Then combined for 9 points on 4-13 shooting but 21 rebounds in the next two games vs Notre Dame. There were also games vs Duke, Miami, Clemson and Georgia Tech where he had less than 8 points.
I don’t know where or how he’s going to score early in his career but his long term potential as a rebounding, shot blocking 3 point shooter who can create his own shot outweighs whatever concerns I may have..
RAFAEL BARLOWE - MARCH 29, 2017
Initially I wasn't too high on Isaac but I'll chalk that up as a freshman adjusting to college basketball. He's got some capability off the dribble and you can't deny his shooting touch. He doesn't weigh anything but that doesn't affect his aggressiveness when crashing the glass. I think his future is at the 3. He's got a ton of upside if he can put on the weight and tighten up his handle. At the very worse case, he should be able to be a 3 and D guy.
He's just so skinny. Any bit of contact is throwing him off balance. You look at how Brandon Ingram is struggling and it makes you wonder if Isaac is going to have the same problems.
JAMES BARLOWE FEBRUARY 21, 2017
Jonathan Isaac looks like a classic 3.5 to me. He can shoot the ball and looks like he's a pretty good athlete. Though he's wiry, he will crash the glass. He shows some capability off the dribble but looks to have a 2 dribble max.
He rarely gets to the basket whether it be in the half court or transition. I counted 8 points through 7 games in transition. I'd like to see him rebound and turn that into offense but that's just not him right now. I don't know if he'll ever be more than a spot up shooter.
POSITIVES:
Some capability off the dribble
Looks like a classic 3.5
Good athlete
Wiry strong
Does crash the offensive glass
AREAS OF CONCERN:
Has a 2 dribble max
Strength concerns
Primarily a spot up guy
Can he defend 3s?
Rarely gets to the basket
Should be better in transition (8 points through 7 games)
JAMES BARLOWE - DECEMBER 29, 2016
