(Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)
In an NBA Draft class that is viewed as one of the worst ever and without any clear top 3 picks, this is the year when you’d expect to hear about prospects impressing in workouts and flying up the boards, not the opposite.
One top prospect is unfortunately slipping according to draft experts, and he might fall all the way out of the lottery despite being the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 high school class.
Draft insider Evan Sidery of Forbes shared that USC’s Isaiah Collier is reportedly slipping down many teams’ draft boards due to his inconsistent performance at USC as well as concerns about his shooting ability, which could be enough to send him down into the 20s on draft night.
Isaiah Collier, the No. 1 overall recruit from the 2023 high school class, is sliding down boards in the pre-draft process.
After a very inconsistent season at USC, plus concerns around his shooting ability, Collier is likely to slip into the 20s on draft night.
A potential… pic.twitter.com/d4szN61sj3
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 19, 2024
Collier was once seen as a projected top-10 pick, but teams are starting to sour on him while his peers in the backcourt are elevating.
The freshman averaged 16.3 points per game on an impressive 49 percent shooting, but he had a disappointing 4.3/3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio and shot only 33.8 percent from three-point range, which is a troubling number at just 6’3″.
Teams could be starting to worry that he is more Dennis Smith Jr. than he is Eric Bledsoe, as he is a gifted athlete with incredible burst and finishing ability, but shooting and decision-making are vital skills at the next level.
Guys like Reed Sheppard, Stephon Castle, Devin Carter, Jared McCain, and Carlton Carrington all have similar profiles but are all now projected to be taken ahead of Collier.
He has about a week to start impressing teams again, but keep an eye out for this draft-day subplot.
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