Scout interview with Jonathan Isaac

[jrpross]

http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1560203-nike-academy-1-on-1-with-jon-isaac

Nothing ground breaking but figured I'd share. Mentioned us, Wake Forest, Florida State, and LSU as the schools making him a priority. He says he wants to be a guard (despite being 6'9") and will go to the shook where he feels like he's at home. I really like his game. If he wants to play guard, that'd be dandy with me since we love 3 guard lineups.

 

[Smashcat]

Good interview. Go get him, Cal.

 

[jrpross]

I know right? Makes sense why Cal has been talking about "positionless basketball". Not just for this year's team methinks.

 

[poppycat]

I think what he is saying is "give me the ball, I want it in my hands".
Just a wee bit selfish..........IMO......

 

[GonzoCat90]

it's just kids these days drive me nuts. I can tell I'm getting older when the things the younger guys at the gym do and say when we're playing, how they react when we beat em, all the one on one stuff (nothing pisses off an 18-20 year old basketball player more than when he can't get around a 30 year old one on one). I just want a player to say "I'm just a basketball player" or "I'll play anywhere, I don't care".

Kobi Simmons at 6'5" saying that playing the PG spot is "very important" to him. This guy at 6'9" saying he wants to be a guard. The NBA will play these guys wherever they're the best. What they play in AAU or college isn't where they're doomed to play the rest of their lives.

Just annoys me. I'm getting old.

It'd be like a 6'5" 240 lb left handed guy with a 6.6 60 in baseball saying that playing shortstop is what he needs to do or a 6'1" 360 lb fella with a 5.4 40 saying he wants to be a WR.

How big do you have the font set on your screen, gramps?

Really though, I think these kids are just playing the recruiting game the way they think it's supposed to be played. They hear the buzz words and the priorities used by other recruits and then just follow in those footsteps.

Actually, the blame goes to the coaches, if we're being brutally honest. Sure, Cal shoots straight with them, but stuff like this comes from coaches trying to find a unique angle to sell the kid on and land him, as if there's a difference in playing the 2 or the 3. Coaches who can't put kids in the league focus on stuff like "feels like home" or "showcase your guard skills" or whatever.

 

[treyforuk]

it's just kids these days drive me nuts. I can tell I'm getting older when the things the younger guys at the gym do and say when we're playing, how they react when we beat em, all the one on one stuff (nothing pisses off an 18-20 year old basketball player more than when he can't get around a 30 year old one on one). I just want a player to say "I'm just a basketball player" or "I'll play anywhere, I don't care".

Kobi Simmons at 6'5" saying that playing the PG spot is "very important" to him. This guy at 6'9" saying he wants to be a guard. The NBA will play these guys wherever they're the best. What they play in AAU or college isn't where they're doomed to play the rest of their lives.

Just annoys me. I'm getting old.

It'd be like a 6'5" 240 lb left handed guy with a 6.6 60 in baseball saying that playing shortstop is what he needs to do or a 6'1" 360 lb fella with a 5.4 40 saying he wants to be a WR.

Or a 6'4 in,300 plus, left handed dude wanting to play quarterback...

 

[Adolph B. Calipari]

I'm right at 6'0, 190. I love to bang in the post and I play a few times a week lol. Im no Chuck Barkely, I just enjoy the challenge of guarding and often outplaying people much larger than myself....lower body strength...fronting/denying ect. Play that 2/3 Mr Isaac! I have a feeling we will have some minutes available lol.

 

[Adolph B. Calipari]

I agree with the posters about the size to position ratio comments. However there clearly are exceptions to the unwritten rule.

Look at Poy for example he is 6'8 -6'9 with his "skill" set he is a four. No matter if Poy is 6'1 or 6'9 his actual skill and physical tendencies make him an interior player IMHO.

Now look at Kevin Durant's skill set. No matter if Durant is 6'1 or 6'11 the skill he possess makes him a 2/3. You have to have the ball in his hands IMHO.

Also as for interior players, sometimes you just have to have a tough mind set period. If a 6'10 guy is soft as momma's pudding and a 6'6 guy is rugged hard nosed and hustling. Both wanna play the 4? Then its logical to play the smaller player, so long as he's sufficiently defending.

These are situational circumstances I understand that. The endless possibilities of linuep /skill set combinations are part of what makes this game so special IMHO.

 

[coolcat9lives]

There are barely any positions in basketball now anyway. Recruiting services use things like WF (wing forward) or CG (combo guard) to describe players now. I've even seen PF (point forward) a couple of times. Game planning has evolved too. No longer do you have to "guard the guy across from you" as long as you can defend. Issac needs to understand that. He can have the ball in his hands a fair amount without having the label of "guard". I'm not sure if any college coach recruiting him would place him anywhere but on the perimeter. That's his game.

 

[CELTICAT]

In my day, tall guys that wanted to be out on the perimeter were called soft

 

[bucsrule8872]

There are barely any positions in basketball now anyway. Recruiting services use things like WF (wing forward) or CG (combo guard) to describe players now. I've even seen PF (point forward) a couple of times. Game planning has evolved too. No longer do you have to "guard the guy across from you" as long as you can defend. Issac needs to understand that. He can have the ball in his hands a fair amount without having the label of "guard". I'm not sure if any college coach recruiting him would place him anywhere but on the perimeter. That's his game.

I know this is an oversimplification, but this is how I see it now.

It's basically three types of players now:

Points- guys that can handle the ball and pass, can lead a team.

Wings- guys that play on the perimeter (but do not quite have the skillset or mentality of a Point).

Bigs- guys that play in the paint.

You can play different combos of each.

Some play a Point, three Wings, and a Big (ND, Michigan last year).

Duke started two Points, two Wings, and a Big.

We started a Point, a Wing, and three Bigs, IMHO.

Our team next year, IMHO, starts three Points and two Bigs.

Points- Ulis, Murray, Briscoe.

Wings- Mulder, Matthews, Hawkins, Willis, Floreal.

Bigs- Labissiere, Poythress, Lee, Wynyard (hopefully).

Some of our Points have Wing skills and some of our Bigs have Wing skills, which makes for a very versatile team.

That's how I see it anyway.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Isaac will play a Wing position.

It could be the 3 or 4 spots if you are using numbers, but he will play a Wing.

I don't see him banging down low on the blocks, not with his skillset.

 

[true blue1]

yea he'll likely be a 3 the rest of his career, but I wouldn't call him a "guard" like he says he wants to be. It's splitting hairs, but it's like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Jason, what's your take on Isaac. Do you like UK's chances landing him? Thanks for any insight.

 

[coolcat9lives]

I know this is an oversimplification, but this is how I see it now.

It's basically three types of players now:

Points- guys that can handle the ball and pass, can lead a team.

Wings- guys that play on the perimeter (but do not quite have the skillset or mentality of a Point).

Bigs- guys that play in the paint.

You can play different combos of each.

Some play a Point, three Wings, and a Big (ND, Michigan last year).

Duke started two Points, two Wings, and a Big.

We started a Point, a Wing, and three Bigs, IMHO.

Our team next year, IMHO, starts three Points and two Bigs.

Points- Ulis, Murray, Briscoe.

Wings- Mulder, Matthews, Hawkins, Willis, Floreal.

Bigs- Labissiere, Poythress, Lee, Wynyard (hopefully).

Some of our Points have Wing skills and some of our Bigs have Wing skills, which makes for a very versatile team.

That's how I see it anyway.

Not overtly simple at all. It's pretty much as simple as you made it. There are a few outliers in the system that transcend all of these roles but that's true with almost every rule. It's been moving towards this for 5-10 years now. In another 5-10 the traditional big will be phased out on a large scale. I personally like the way the game is heading. I've always thought the United States left a lot of big kids out to dry development wise in the name of youth basketball wins. These kids need to learn the game from all areas of the court and that's what is happening now.

 

[mj2k10]

He ain't gonna be a guard in college. And he doesn't have to be to end up there in the pros.

How big do you have the font set on your screen, gramps?

Really though, I think these kids are just playing the recruiting game the way they think it's supposed to be played. They hear the buzz words and the priorities used by other recruits and then just follow in those footsteps.

Actually, the blame goes to the coaches, if we're being brutally honest. Sure, Cal shoots straight with them, but stuff like this comes from coaches trying to find a unique angle to sell the kid on and land him, as if there's a difference in playing the 2 or the 3. Coaches who can't put kids in the league focus on stuff like "feels like home" or "showcase your guard skills" or whatever.

And if they were paying any attention, they would realize that where they play in college means less than nothing as long as they show the NBA the skills the NBA is looking for.

Anthony Davis played center, at about 210 lbs. It actually HELPED him, because he showed NBA scouts that he could handle playing against heavier guys. Karl Towns was also helped because Cal forced him to develop a post game. Justise Winslow ended the year as mainly a small-ball 4. It had 0 effect on his draft stock. Someone like Victor Oladipo spent most of his college career as a 6'4" small forward. He still went top 5 in the draft.

The only time position can have a real effect is with guys who turn out to be undersized in the interior and have no game at all more than 5 feet from the basket, and with guy who are really small (6'2" or less in basketball terms), without explosive athletic ability, and have no real ability to run the point. That's it. For everyone else, it's completely unnecessary that they be the 7 foot small forward, the 6'9" shooting guard, or the 6'6" PG, even though it now seems like that's what every kid wants.

 

[Jazzycat]

Guys look at Lebron playing the point and guard positions and they see themselves emulating that in the pros. This is the new reality. Mobile big men all over the floor who can dribble, pass and shoot as well as the guards. It made the difference between Willie Cauley Stein being drafted as a lotto pick and going in the second round, as Dakari did.

 

[mj2k10]

Guys look at Lebron playing the point and guard positions and they see themselves emulating that in the pros. This is the new reality. Mobile big men all over the floor who can dribble, pass and shoot as well as the guards. It made the difference between Willie Cauley Stein being drafted as a lotto pick and going in the second round, as Dakari did.

WCS going way ahead of Dakari had 0 to do with position, though, and everything to do with athletic ability. And athletic ability has 0 to do with position.

Isaac is a wing. It makes not one damn difference if he's listed as a guard in college or a forward. In fact, if he were to play as a small 4 and show that he could do some stuff around the rim, it might help his draft stock more than if he tries to be a gargantuan shooting guard, as long as the NBA is confident that he has some perimeter skills. Which he does.