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11 - Isaiah Cousins

6-4, 190 Point Guard/Shooting Guard
Oklahoma Senior
Birthday
03/13/94 (30 yrs)
Hometown
Mount Vernon, NY
High School
Mount Vernon
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
8
Strength
7
Quickness
7
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
8
NBA Ready
8
Ball Handling
7
Potential
7
Passing
7
Intangibles
7

NBA Comparison: CJ Watson

Strengths: Already an intriguing prospect, Cousins has shown even more versatility as a senior since sliding over to the point guard position for Oklahoma … Despite not playing the point since high school, Cousins has shown a good grasp of running a pick and roll, as well as setting up one of the premier scorers in the country … He’s dishing out a career high 4.6 assists and doing so with a 2.0 assist to turnover ratio … His A/TO ratio actually increased dramatically since transitioning from an off ball player … In Lon Kruger’s high tempo offense, he’s grown used to pushing the ball, which will suit him better in the NBA than many slower paced college offenses … He’s shown the ability to get into the lane and make good decisions whether it’s finishing with a floater, getting to the hoop, or kicking it out to a teammate on the perimeter … Cousins has a good fundamental understanding of how to run an offense, and is versatile enough to be perceived as a threat off the drive and on the perimeter … Speaking of the perimeter, Isaiah is also a very capable long range shooter who’s hit 125-260 thee pointers in his junior and senior seasons in Norman combined (43%). That kind of volume and consistency will serve him well at the next level … As an NBA combo guard, who will most likely line up at the PG spot, Isaiah has a 6’5.5’’ wingspan and sizes up at 6’3’’ in shoes … While quite undersized for a two, his senior year showcasing his skills at the point has opened up more possibilities for him at the next level … For an NBA point guard he’s slightly above average in terms of size … This also allows him to rebound well for a player of his stature (4.6 per game).

Weaknesses: Isaiah can sometimes struggle in terms of shot selection, especially when creating for himself off the dribble … Going into Oklahoma’s Final 4 matchup versus Villanova, Cousins is shooting just .413% from the field, which is actually below his 3 point clip … A shaky shot selection, and tendencies to over penetrate and take a bad shot over length are a part of this issue … He’s also a surprisingly sub par free throw shooter (67%) … While a pretty well built 195 pounds, he could stand to gain some more strength to adapt defensively in the NBA … He has the size, and athletic ability to guard the point guard position, but continued work in the weight room will be a must …

Overall: Isaiah Cousins is a combo guard capable of running the point in the NBA and hitting outside shots. He’s a little wild at times creating for himself in one on one matchups, but he’s also a solid pick and roll player with a respectable assist to turnover ratio and experience running in an up tempo system … Defensively he’s above average, but not exciting which is also representative of his athletic ability. Overall, while not a particularly high ceiling player, Cousins is capable of carving out a role for himself as a backup guard with his long range shooting a potential calling card.

Notes: All Big-12 3rd Team 2016, Measured 6’.5’’ barefoot, 6’3’’ in shoes, with a 6’5.5’’ wingspan and an 8’3’’ standing reach at the 2015 Pan Am Games tryouts.

David Ray 4/1/16

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