NBA Draft: Sixers Select Isaiah Joe with 49th Pick, Paul Reed with 58th

Funny stuff here.

There was a rumor going around that the Sixers “promised” Isaiah Joe, then they ended up trading away picks 34 and 36 but took the Arkansas shooting guard at #49 anyway. He was still on the board.

The strange thing is that Joe was all over the place on mock drafts. I saw him at #49 on one mock and then he was listed at #21 on another draft. Talk about a variation.

Good player, though. Joe only played two seasons with the Razorbacks but hit 207 of a ridiculous 548 three point attempts, which is good for 37.8% total. His number dipped this year but got his two-point and free throw numbers up.

Draft profile on Joe, from NBA Draft Net:

Strengths:  Long, rangy player who appears to have excellent upside as a shooting specialist … High level outside shooter, particularly catch and shoot. Three point shot dipped in sophomore season (34.2%),but remains a very intriguing outside shooter having hit 41% as a freshman and shot 89% from the FT line this season … Tremendous form on his shot, balance, follow through and quick release … With solid length, he’s able to get his shot off over defenders without much space … While he’s only 6’4 in shoes, he has good length with a 6’7.5 wingspan and 8’5 standing reach … Frame appears that he should be able to add weight … Solid anticipation playing the passing lanes on steals … Has sneaky athleticism when he’s given a lane to the basket … His ability to shoot, combined with his length and fluidity make him intriguing … Did a solid job of cutting down on turnovers in sophomore year 1.7A/1.2TO … Solid defender and should improve as he adds strength …

Weaknesses: Struggled from three as a sophomore, as previously mentioned … Struggled when forced to create his own offense, especially against athletic and strong defenders … Shot selection brought his efficiency down some, but perhaps he was asked to do too much, and create shots, even when teams when focusing their defenses around him … At 170 lbs, lacks strength to finish through contact and can easily be outmuscled on defense and around the basket … Ability to drive and finish or make plays in the paint is severely hampered by his lack of strength … Lacks great leaping ability and explosiveness to finish through contact, though added core strength could improve his leaping … Not the greatest passer, lacks great court vision and generally looks to score when he gets the ball, not create baskets for teammates … Legs are too weak to finish off drives at times, especially when he runs into contact … May take some time to fill out his body and adjust to the NBA game …

Sounds pretty straightforward. He’s a shooter who is probably going to struggle defensively in the NBA. Not a big guy at all and needs to put on some weight.

The video is fun to watch, though. Joe has ridiculous range:

Update:

I forgot to add Paul Reed, who they took at #58 overall. Power forward out of DePaul.

Here’s Givony’s pre-draft profile at ESPN:

Featuring the height (6-10), length (7-2 wingspan) and reach (9-1.5) of a center but the frame of a small forward (219 pounds), Reed is one of only six college players in the past decade to average 1.9 steals and 2.5 blocks per game, a sign of his defensive potential. He covers ground impressively on the perimeter and does an excellent job of protecting the rim despite weighing only 219 pounds, but he has his fair share of lapses on and off the ball and relies too heavily on his physical tools, making him less effective than his counting stats might indicate. Offensively, his trigger happy and often wild style of play was difficult to watch at times on a fairly dysfunctional team that went just 3-15 in the Big East. Teams cite concerns around his approach to the game via background intel and questionable interviews as reasons his stock never truly took off in the pre-draft process despite his status as an analytics darling, but his physical tools and defensive versatility still give him a solid chance to hear his name called on draft night.

“Analytics darling.” That’s a Morey type of pick right there.

The post NBA Draft: Sixers Select Isaiah Joe with 49th Pick, Paul Reed with 58th appeared first on Crossing Broad.