Whereas the San Antonio Spurs had a brutal season that can inevitably result in a high lottery choose, the collegiate Miami Hurricanes had been fairly the alternative. They made it to the Last 4, dropping to eventual champion UConn. The Canes obtained there because of their offense, which was led by guard Isaiah Wong who determined to come back again for an additional 12 months after securing a pleasant NIL deal. A 6-foot-4, 184-pound junior, he made probably the most of his additional 12 months after attending to the Elite Eight final season with the staff.
Wong was staff chief in scoring and assists on the season for a staff that scored 79 factors per sport and had the ninth-best offensive ranking in all of faculty basketball. His shiftiness, ball dealing with, and taking pictures are all going to be engaging to an NBA staff searching for somebody to plug and play instantly off the bench, and he must be accessible within the second spherical.
Isaiah Wong Strengths and Weaknesses
What Wong brings to a bench is a quintessential “microwave man” who can get scorching at any time throughout a sport. He’s extremely shifty, can get his defender off-balance along with his dribble. The Miami product can be a inventive finisher across the rim. He was named the ACC Participant of the 12 months primarily because of his scoring potential and for his enchancment as a passer final season. Although he’s possible a second-round choose, Wong ought to get fast minutes as an impression taking pictures guard.
One of many extra underrated elements of Wong’s sport is that he could make extremely contested photographs and accomplish that repeatedly. It’s not even simply the extent of issue on his photographs, it’s the place he’s taking them from too. He can hit robust photographs across the rim, within the midrange, and from past the arc. That is clearly a helpful ability to have within the NBA and may make him a extra worthwhile draft prospect than individuals are seeing proper now. Nevertheless, his age (he’s already 22) is probably going capping his perceived ceiling. Wong brings extra than simply robust shot-making to the desk although.
Isaiah Wong 2022 – 2023 Averages16.2 PPG, 2.1 TOPG, 3.2 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG44.5 FG%, 38.4 3P%, 84.5 FTpercent21.3 PER, 118.9 ORtg, 106.5 DRtg
Wong was significantly better this previous season about organising his teammates on a well-balanced Miami squad. His self-creation and teammate setup shouldn’t go unnoticed. He might play some combo guard on the subsequent stage, however actually shouldn’t be requested to run an offense fairly but. Nonetheless, the shot making and the gravity for Wong’s taking pictures make him an enormous asset for any staff which will draft him.
Whereas the offense is unquestionably a plus for Wong, he has a bit to indicate on the opposite finish of the court docket. He is usually a locked-in defender when he needs to be. He has the athleticism and quickness to do this, however didn’t spend all 12 months centered on his protection. That was sure to occur as he typically occasions grew to become the point of interest of the offense and needed to focus all of his efforts there. If Wong can present in exercises that he can maintain the defensive depth and never have a drop-off in offense, he can be golden.
