Equipe : Michigan Wolverines (Senior)
Age: 22 years old
Height: 201 cm
Weight: 106 kg
Wingspan: 205 cm
Position: Winger / Strong Winger
Current comparison: Dario Saric (Phoenix Suns)
2020/2021 statistics: 13.1 points (45.7%), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 0.6 steals in 31.6 minutes per game.
“I hurt them from a distance, on the production, precisely like a stretch 4 “. As presented by Freeze Corleone, Isaiah Livers is the kind of player who is very useful and loved by NBA coaches. Originally from Michigan, where he also completed his university career, the strong winger is a pure product of the State. His palm trees go in the same direction: winner of the Mr Basketball of Michigan and you Gatorade Player of the Year Michigan in 2017, he also helped his team reach the 2018 NCAA tournament final against Villanova. With a leadership personality on and off the field, here we have a player who should be very popular if he manages to make his place in the NBA. He had, in 2020, wanted to run for the Draft before retiring. Today at the end of his university career, it is therefore the year or never for him. Alas, bad luck, he was injured during the season and began a rehabilitation in early April which should last 6 months. So he’s going to come to the draft as injured, not the best way to get such a chance. The day after his birthday, will he be selected by a team that will trust him enough? Presentation.
- ADVANTAGES: the versatile athlete
With a good 3-point shoot, Isaiah Livers has a profile that oscillates between 3 and D and the Stretch 4. In a full squad, he is able to play and hold both positions by making a real contribution! His percentages follow his mechanism because we have averages which are constantly changing over his university seasons, but which are also very good today (43.1% for the 2020-2021 season)! If we dig deeper through the advanced statistics, its true shooting percentage is also very good (60.5%). But a player who knows how to shoot remains current today, in an NBA which plays more and more behind the 3-point line. He needs other assets to become an interesting profile. And justly ! Its other strengths may not be of an elite level, yet they are present and that is the main thing. Well playmaker, good rebounder, good defender, here is a very interesting package making it immediately believable. Add to that an above average athletic physique, and you have a player who is able to adapt to a lot of play patterns. As we have seen, he is both used as the head of the racket as the first defensive thrower. against, as a skilled finisher or as a spot up shooter 3 points. And in order to carry out its various missions, it can count on a large engine to provide it with all the sufficient energy! And it’s not as if we had a player owing his coach’s pay and not knowing how to make decisions. An intelligent player, he often makes the right choices, both in attack where he finds good spaces, but also in defense where his sense of blocking and defending without making mistakes (1 per game) are real pluses for the team. ‘team.
- LESS: and after the injury?
The big weak point of his file is obviously this injury which occurred at the worst time for him. We do not know how much this can change the player in his approach to the game, he who nevertheless relies a lot on his physique when he enters the racket. Of course, this is to qualify because we are not in the case of a uber athlete as Zion Williamson, Livers having a much less imposing physique. But in his case, already having physical shortcomings in the game, with difficulty ending up in traffic, it can quickly push him to become more of an outside player. In addition, he also struggles with defenders who are faster than him. In terms of physical qualities other than his musculature, therefore, he is quite limited because he is also quite slow. And these flaws go beyond mere physical condition. For example, on the rebound, he does not have a keen sense of placement to fill certain physical gaps. It is in particular due to the misuse of his body, that it is in rebound therefore, but also in the protection of the ball and can easily lose it. In short, if we take these limits into account, we see that in an NBA workforce full of talented players, only his shot can be used. And that’s a shame for a player showing real good potential like Isaiah Livers!
- BEST FIT: Detroit Pistons (42nd pick)
And we’re staying in Michigan for Livers! We are not going to lie to each other, when it comes to choosing the best fit, the attachment he carries to his State and the energy that it seemed to give him played. At home, his transition couldn’t be much easier, while still having the chance to grow into a truly young and growing workforce. With the recent obtaining of the first pick by the Pistons, they should (in all likelihood) select Cade Cunningham. Alongside such a player, but also a Killian Hayes well in the past, Isaiah Livers could have fun in a role of pick&pop, from spot up shooter or counterattack launcher / finisher. In this team, we can imagine him finding quite quickly a role that will allow him to make good progress, under the guidance of Dwane Casey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RblIa5EZC3Y
To find all the profiles of the 2021 Draft on Inside Basket, click here!
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