2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down USC Point Guard Isaiah Collier

Isaiah Collier is a projected lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. What does he bring to the table and what are some areas of improvement for the top scoring prospect?

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Measurements and Background

Isaiah Collier stands at 6-foot-5 with shoes on and has an unofficial 6-foot-4 wingspan while weighing 210 pounds. His primary position will be point guard and his secondary position will be shooting guard in the NBA.

He stayed one year at USC and was the top creator for the Trojans. Collier was born on October 4, 2004. Coming out of high school he was a consensus top-three prospect in the 2023 senior class. The former five-star prospect was considered the top playmaker in the entire class and paired with his physical tools it had a lot of talent evaluators put Collier as the top overall prospect in his class.

2023-2024 Season Stats

This season in a total of 27 games played Collier, averaged 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.2 blocks, 3.3 turnovers and 2.4 fouls while playing 30.0 minutes per game. He shot 49.0% from the field, 67.3% from the free-throw line, 54.3% from inside the arc and 33.8% from behind the arc.

When it comes to positives, his efficiency really stands out. He’s very efficient from the floor as he nearly shoots 50% from the floor as a point guard which isn’t common with how perimeter oriented basketball is nowadays and his 2-point efficiency is quite impressive.

When it comes to things that should be considered when evaluating him, his turnovers are a bit of an issue as he averaged far too many. Not taking care of the ball early in the season really affected his season average. His free-throw percentage was poor for a point guard as he shot 67% from the charity stripe.

Strengths

Collier is an elite passer with the potential to be the best playmaker out of this year’s draft. The 6-foot-5 lead guard has phenomenal court vision, a great feel for the game and really good velocity on his passes. His high IQ will take him a long way in the NBA as he has advanced basketball knowledge for a college freshman and he is someone that makes his teammates better.

I truly believe Isaiah Collier is a top five passer and playmaker in this year’s draft.

The vision is really good, can make a variety of different passes, has great velocity on his passes and has an advanced feel for the game. Can create efficient offense for teammates. pic.twitter.com/byr74vxLs0

— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) May 3, 2024

Easily Collier’s most NBA ready skill is his ability to pressure the rim and finish inside the painted area. The combination of his shiftiness, strength and burst allows him to get to the rim at will. When he gets to the rim it’s almost a guarantee basket as he’s one of the best below the rim finishers in the entire draft. Collier is very crafty with his finishes and has the ability to finish through defenders if needed.

Isaiah Collier is a great finisher around the rim. Although he’s not particularly explosive or an above the rim finisher, he wins with strength, craft and creativity at the rim.

Collier is listed at 6-foot-5 and weighs a strong 210 pounds. He does a great job at putting pressure… pic.twitter.com/NCktnkZ0iG

— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) May 3, 2024

Although he was inconsistent on the defensive end with his lack of intensity and consistency he still shows a ton of promise as a defender. His physical tools are super impressive as he stands at 6-foot-5 and is a very strong 210 pounds. Combine his physical tools with some enticing athletic traits like how strong he is and how quick his reaction speed is then you have someone that can make an all-defensive team at some point in his career if he really buys in on the defensive end.

Although Isaiah Collier lacked intensity and consistency on the defensive end he has the tools to be a very good defender.

He’s the strongest point guard in this year’s draft by a healthy margin while possessing quick reaction speed and lateral quickness. Should be a positive… pic.twitter.com/HwFI4SIiC0

— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) May 3, 2024

Areas of Improvement

The shooting is the biggest area of concern when it comes to Collier. He doesn’t really get much elevation on his jump-shot which could often lead to some shots having very bad misses. There were times in college where defenders sagged off of Collier and dared him to become a perimeter shooter and at the next level that will be something he sees quite often if he doesn’t start improving his shooting stroke. Him shooting 33% from behind the arc and 67% from the free-throw line isn’t going to cut it.

The biggest area of concern revolving around Isaiah Collier is the shooting. This season for USC he shot 33% from behind the arc , 67% from the free-throw line and 36% on floaters. He doesn’t get much elevation on his jumpers and the shot can be a bit flat at times.

Collier is… pic.twitter.com/Hvx3KvITIv

— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) May 3, 2024

Although the potential is there for him to be an elite playmaker at the next level, the decision-making has to get better. He can be a bit too turnover prone for a lead guard and have a lot of unforced turnovers which will often lead to easy points for the other team in the open floor. It was noticeable he tried to force the action a bit too often with certain passes and shots. His decision-making did improve towards the end of the season which is definitely a positive as he showed signs of in-season improvements.

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