NBA Comparison: Malcolm Lee

Strengths: Tremendous athlete with impressive quickness, athleticism and leaping abilities … He shows remarkable balance and body control, excelling in transition and in general in high pace game … He shows solid slashing abilities with effective change of speed and direction, thanks to his excellent footwork … Despite having rather developed scoring instincts he’s definitely not selfish, showing solid passing skills and court vision as well, especially when he creates space with his lighting first step … During these years he has shown also a solid off- the ball game, in P&R situations and with backdoor cuts … His shooting skills are improving, especially the three point shot jumped from 25% to 40% this season … His mechanics is still an ongoing project, but his release is quick and effective … Defensively he has solid lateral quickness and positioning, with a solid understanding of collective defence … He has the potential to become a really solid stealer, thanks to his timing and instincts. Smart kid perfectly integrated in the team and beloved by his teammates …

Weaknesses: He has a narrow frame and shoulders, weighing only 190 lbs, simply not yet big enough to withstand contact at the NBA level … This is made worse considering his style is based on quickness and slashing abilities to get to the rim … Handle is still a major point of concern, limiting his ability to create off the dribble in ISO situations, when he only relies on his quickness and change of speed … Limited use of left hand … Defensive attitude is not consistent, he lacks necessary determination despite having solid fundamentals and potential … His shot is improving but mechanics needs to become more fluid and also the selection is quite poor … Played all his career in French second division, quite a low level … Over last couple of years he has been forced to the side-lines due to several injuries … Form on his shot not perfect, still in need of refinement …

Notes: His father Stéphane is a former professional handball player, who represented France in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and won bronze at the 1997 World Championships … Isaia also played handball before turning to basketball … He had 10.8 points 3.6 rebounds during last season with Denain in French second division … Member of U18 French National team in 2014, having 9.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Davide Bortoluzzi 6/20/16