Expected lottery pick Isaiah Collier leaving USC, entering NBA draft
USC point guard Isaiah Collier — who was projected as a top-5 pick before the NCAA season and is still seen as a likely lottery pick — has decided to enter the NBA Draft, his agent confirmed to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Collier was always seen as a one-and-done player, and with USC coach Andy Enfield moving on to SMU, the Trojans are going through a lot of changes (including Bronny James leaving). Collier put up solid numbers this season, averaging 16.3 points and 4.3 assists a game and shooting 33.8% from 3.
Collier is a 6'5" point guard with an NBA body whose game is about attacking and playing downhill. His play coming into the season had him projected in the top five of the draft, but he had turnover issues early on, he suffered a hand injury, and USC as a team struggled (both with and without him). More concerning, he did not impress scouts with his defense last season.
In a draft filled with rolls of the dice, Collier is a good one — he's an NBA-level athlete who can get into the paint and knows how to find the open man when the defense collapses on him. He has size and explosiveness that can't be taught, if the rest of his game can be developed and molded he could become a very good NBA player.
Most projections now have Collier going in the 10-15 range in the draft, but interviews and workouts could change that.
