How is Isaiah Collier viewed as an NBA prospect? 'His pace stands out'

'His game will evolve when he makes more shots'
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Five-star point guard Isaiah Collier is USC men's basketball's highest ranked recruit since Evan Mobley. ESPN lists Collier as the No. 1 prospect nationally in the 2023 class.

The Georgia native will arrive at USC's campus with a lot of hype. So what exactly is Collier's ceiling as an NBA prospect? We asked an NBA executive to share his thoughts on the 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard.

Here's what the NBA executive had to say:

Collier's pace stands out. How he switches gears in particular. He's great with ball screen reads. He's efficient without a crazy burst, but has the ability to get to the rim. Shot making will be key in the evolution of his game. He will need to make shots. But overall, the last 12 months I've seen a ton of progress. He knows how to get by guys. He has good size for a point guard. It will be interesting to see how he plays with Boogie Ellis.

Here's some of 247Sports.com's evaluation of Collier from Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein:

Collier was probably the best passer in high school basketball this year. He’s a true point guard with terrific floor-vision who literally makes the game easier for his teammates. He has all types of passes in his bag – he reads ball-screens well, is poised probing the lane with terrific change of pace, very good penetrating to pitch, able to throw darts off the dribble with either hand, use his size to throw over top of defenders, and a very accurate lob thrower. He also has terrific positional size for the point guard position and a strong, college-ready frame. He’s stronger than he is naturally explosive in the lane, and at his best from a quickness and endurance standpoint when he is on the leaner side. Collier plays with a lot of pace going north to south in the open floor, gets downhill, and can be both agile and crafty finishing inside the lane.


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Connor Morrissette
CONNOR MORRISSETTE

Senior Reporter covering USC Athletics for SI All Trojans