Jonathan Isaac Is the Most Interesting Man in the NBA Draft

Every team in the NBA needs Isaac. Which one will get him?

There are between two and five games remaining in the NBA season, and everything points to that number being a lot closer to two than five. Besides, 28 teams are done for the season and most fans have conceded this year (or decade) to the Warriors, so it’s time to start looking to the future. The NBA Draft is two weeks away, and NBA Free Agency opens just 10 days later.

So far most of the draft buzz has been around Lonzo Ball and the Father Who Shall Not Be Named along with presumed #1 pick Markelle Fultz. Those are still the most likely names to be called first on draft night. But Florida State’s wing-slash-big-slash-Baby-Groot-All-Growed-Up Jonathan Isaac is a unique player every team needs.

He might just be the most interesting man in the NBA Draft.

So exactly who is Jonathan Isaac?

Isaac is played one season at Florida State and led the Seminoles to a school-record 26 wins and a 3-seed, their best ever. Isaac’s numbers: 12.0 points, 7.8 boards, 1.2 assists, and 2.7 stocks (Bill Simmons’ steals + blocks combo stat) per game. He shot 35% behind the arc and 59% from twos, plus 78% at the line. But teams considering Isaac in the draft are thinking about the player he’ll become, not the one he is right now.

Isaac is a 19-year-old 6'11 wing that’s still growing. Like Anthony Davis, he’s a former guard who hit a growth spurt and turned into a big that can play on the perimeter. Isaac grew eight inches in high school. He grew another inch this year and, considering he won’t turn 20 for a few months, could easily stretch out over 7-feet by the time his frame fills out.

Isaac’s wingspan measures 7'1, an inch or two off guys like Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His standing reach is already over nine feet, which measures up against names like Amare’ Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, and Kevin Durant. It’s one of the highest reaches for a wing in NBA history — and he might still be growing. Isaac has the size and athleticism to be a truly special wing.

Because Isaac played guard in the past, he’s very comfortable with the ball in his hands and looks natural as a dribbler and a shooter. How many 7-foot dudes have a 78% free throw stroke or a 35% three-pointer before they even turn 20? Precious few, and most of the others, like fellow lottery prospect Lauri Markkanen, are shooters first and defenders last.

Isaac’s defense is his calling card. He led Florida State with a 93.6 defensive rating and also led the team in blocks and was second in steals. Isaac’s length allows him to shut down players on the perimeter while providing help at the rim, and his foot speed and lateral quickness combined with that length make him virtually impossible to get past. He led all NCAA wings in blocks this season and was top five in steals. Ask Notre Dame’s V.J. Beachem (10-for-29 in three games against FSU) or Duke’s presumed-top-5-pick Jayson Tatum (12-for-30 with nine turnovers in two games) how they liked being matched up against Isaac’s length all game.

Even better, Isaac does all that defending without getting into much foul trouble. He had four fouls just three times all season and only fouled out once. That’s a pretty impressive feat for a 19-year-old playing in the ACC all year.

Isaac’s conditioning will need work. He played 30+ minutes just six times all season. Isaac has asthma so that could hurt his conditioning moving forward and might be a problem on teams like Denver or Utah.

Isaac obviously isn’t a perfect prospect — no one is. He’s thin as a rail and will need to add a lot of strength to fill out his frame, reminiscent of Kevin Durant or Brandon Ingram. His handle is good but not great, ditto his shooting ability. Isaac’s body compares to guys like Durant, Giannis, and Kawhi, but his offensive game does not measure up — then again, neither do the other seven billion people in the world. Isaac could be an elite defender, but he might be just a third- or fourth-option on offense.

In a loaded draft, can NBA teams really afford to use a top pick on a role player?

But what is a role player anyway?

“Role player” is a dirty word, one that denigrates a player to second status. But in truth, aren’t all but about 20 or 30 players in the world “role players”? Not everyone can do everything like LeBron or Giannis, and only a few guys can be Steph or Isaiah, so good at scoring their teams build the roster around them.

Is Klay Thompson a role player? He’s not a lead option on offense, and Warriors second units struggle when Klay is the best weapon out there. He’s one of the three best shooting guards in the league but he’s made his mark so far these playoffs on defense and things outside the box score.

Is Draymond Green a role player? Green can hit the occasional three and he’s a nice secondary ball handler, but he’s definitely not a go-to option. He’s an elite defender who does a bit of everything, except the one really glamorous thing — scoring a lot of points.

The truth is “role player” is a silly, outdated term. It implies that each NBA team has one, maybe two, stars who score all the points and get the attention, that everyone else on the team is just a role player that does the dirty work. We talk about 3-and-D guys like they’re something special, but in 2017, any player that does not have a passable three or play decent defense is almost unplayable. In 2017, almost every good player is a 3-and-D guy. And on good teams, almost everyone has a defined role to fill.

Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are top 20 NBA players, whether or not they score 25 points a game. NBA teams don’t win because their star player is the best star. They win because their team is the best team.

Just ask LeBron.

Take a look at these NBA Finals. The Cavs have a flawed roster (though every roster looks flawed next to Golden State). LeBron is the only “two-way” player on the team. Kyrie and Love are brilliant offensively but hurt the team on defense. Channing Frye and Deron Williams are so bad on defense they can barely stay on the court. Iman Shumpert defends but kills the team’s spacing. The Cavs are getting killed so far because they don’t have role players who can play both ends.

Wouldn’t Jonathan Isaac be playing 25-30 minutes a game in these NBA Finals? Wouldn’t this series be more interesting if Cleveland could play Isaac on Durant half the game and let LeBron save some energy?

Heck, what about the Warriors? They’re one of the most talented rosters in NBA history but don’t really have a fifth starter. Wouldn’t even the Warriors be better if someone like Jonathan Isaac got Zaza Pachulia’s 18 minutes a game?

Look at the other names near the top of the lottery. Could Dennis Smith or De’Aaron Fox even play eight bench minutes a game in these Finals? Would Lauri Markkanen or Zach Collins last more than a minute or two before a mercy timeout? Is there a spot for Malik Monk or Josh Jackson out there?

If the two best rosters in the entire league can use Jonathan Isaac, doesn’t that make him seem pretty valuable?

Take a look around the rest of the NBA.

The Spurs, Celtics, and Raptors were title contenders that turned into also rans. Each lacked a versatile forward that could defend and fill an offensive role, a guy to soak up a handful of minutes against LeBron or Durant when it mattered most. Maybe they still don’t beat the Warriors or Cavs with Jonathan Isaac on the roster, but they certainly get closer.

What about the Wizards? Wouldn’t they have made the Conference Finals with Isaac? You could make a good argument that the Wizards, Rockets, Grizzlies, and Clippers all would have advanced a round further in the playoffs with a role player like Jonathon Isaac on the team. He’s the exact sort of guy all those teams lacked when push came to shove.

Isaac also fits in Los Angeles next to Brandon Ingram or in Philadelphia next to Simmons and Embiid. He probably fits better in Boston than Markelle Fultz (though Fultz is too talented to pass on at #1). It’s difficult to find any NBA roster that doesn’t have a use for Jonathan Isaac. Maybe Milwaukee? And that’s only because they already have two or three guys like him.

In 2017, every NBA contender is trying to figure out how to get someone that can defend LeBron or Durant and be at useful on the other end of the court, and Giannis will soon join that list if he’s not there already. You either have that player or you die trying to figure out how to stop them.

How many wings are there in the world with elite athleticism and skills that allow them to defend players from one to four, maybe even one to five in the modern NBA? Durant, LeBron, and Giannis of course. Paul George, Paul Millsap, and Draymond Green fit the mold. James Johnson made the leap this season. Can Andrew Wiggins or Brandon Ingram become that do-everything wing? Jaylen Brown and Justise Winslow are probably too small, and Thon Maker and Skal Labissiere aren’t good enough on the ball. Are there even ten of these guys in the entire NBA?

Each of this year’s Conference Finalists had an elite athlete wing, and they did last year too, and the year before that. Through seven years of LeBron Finals, every single Conference Finals team had a versatile athletic wing that could defend almost every position. Twenty-three of the 28 teams were built around that wing. By comparison, 18 of the 28 teams had what would be considered a top-level point guard, and only 12 or 13 had a great traditional center.

You can win in the modern NBA without a top notch point guard or big man, but you can’t even get close without one of these wings anymore.

So where will Jonathan Isaac end up?

As nicely as Isaac fits on a team like the Cavs, Raptors, or Spurs, none of those teams have the ammunition to go up and get him. The Celtics and Lakers are likely to take Fultz and Ball, and the 76ers, Suns, Kings, and Magic all seem more likely to hunt for a star player with their pick than a “role player” to fill out their lineup. Most mock drafts have Isaac going to the Timberwolves at #7, and it’s easy to see why. Isaac is the exact sort of versatile defender Minnesota needs next to Wiggins and Towns, and he wouldn’t need to be a major offensive contributor. Isaac could be the player that completes this Wolves core.

So with Isaac such an obvious Minnesota fit, anyone that covets him may need to move up ahead of #7. Two other teams have a glaring hole Jonathan Isaac would fill and the ammunition to go get him — the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets.

Portland has three first round draft picks at 15, 20, and 26. Just two of them would not be enough to get into the top six, but all three of them might. Or perhaps the Blazers could find some cap relief by packaging a couple picks with someone like Moe Harkless or Allen Crabbe to a team that covets one of those wings and has the cap room to take on their onerous contracts. But would any of those teams trade quality for quantity? Orlando has two first round picks of their own already and can’t take on any big contracts. Sacramento has two top-10 picks. Neither of those teams fit. Maybe Phoenix or Philadelphia would consider a move for Harkless or Crabbe and two or three of the picks, but that still might not be worth moving down and it’s probably too rich for Portland anyway.

Denver could be the real threat. The Nuggets desperately need a player like Isaac to play next to Nikola Jokic. Much like the Timberwolves, the Nuggets have an elite big man and some high-level scorers, none of whom play much defense. Isaac is the perfect solution, and Denver has a deep war chest of assets to put together a trade. The #13 pick would surely be available and so would young talents Juancho Hernangomez, Malik Beasley, and Emmanuel Mudiay. Veterans Kenneth Faried, Will Barton, and Wilson Chandler are all on nice deals. Even Gary Harris or Jamal Murray, two of the best under-23 guard prospects, might be available if Denver is desperate enough for Isaac.

Orlando might trade #6 if Denver takes Evan Fournier’s contract off their hands, but it’s tough to find the right deal there. Phoenix could try something similar with #4 and Brandon Knight, but it’s tough to imagine a back court with Murray or Harris and Devin Booker. Sacramento needs a point guard. If they think Murray can be that guy, would the Kings trade #5 for him, #13, and another young player? They just need to add a lot of young talent right now. The Sixers need shooting and are projected in many mock drafts to take Malik Monk. Could they build a trade around Harris or Murray as that shooter instead? Would Denver be willing to give up one of those two, #13, Hernangomez or Beasley, and Chandler or Barton? If Philadelphia likes Harris or Murray almost as much as Monk, that’s a heck of a lot of talent to add around Simmons and Embiid. Denver could still trot out a lineup of Nelson, Murray, Chandler, Isaac, and Jokic with Hernangomez, Faried, Mudiay, and Arthur off the bench — plus over $50 million in cap space to boot.

Perhaps Minnesota tries to trade up just to get their guy, but a deal looks unlikely. Maybe the Kings try to swap #5 and Cauley-Stein for #7 and Ricky Rubio, a player they’ve long coveted, but that feels complicated. The Wolves could offer Tyus Jones with #7 to move up a spot or two, but that’s a bit rich and probably not particularly enticing anyway. Normally moving up a spot or two in the draft would cost a team a second round pick, but Minnesota doesn’t have one. Perhaps the Lakers could get Thibodeau to absorb Luol Deng’s contract to move up from #7 to #2? Probably not.

Minnesota is likely stuck waiting around at #7 for Isaac, hoping Portland or Denver doesn’t move up in front of them. And it gets even more interesting when you remember these teams are division rivals. Snagging Isaac could not only help one of these teams fill out their roster, but also stop a couple rivals from getting a player they desperately need. If Isaac hits his potential, a couple of these teams could be reminded of their mistake not to get him four times every season.

Of course Isaac isn’t the only guy that can fill this sort of role. Paul Millsap is a free agent this summer, and so is James Johnson. So are guys like Serge Ibaka and Nerlens Noel, who don’t offer as much offensive versatility but could be the elite defender these teams need. JaMychal Green, Taj Gibson, and Patrick Patterson could be in the mix. But Minnesota and Denver aren’t the only teams in search of one of these guys. Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Brooklyn, Philly, Toronto, and Memphis will all be in the hunt for a player like this, and almost all of them have the cap room to make a splash. Isaac will be a lot cheaper, and he offers more upside than everyone on that list combined.

After all, Jonathan Isaac is only 19 and he’s still getting bigger and better.

Every team in the NBA needs an elite role player like Jonathan Isaac.

If they’re lucky enough, they might get a star instead.

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