NBA Comparison: Isaiah Hartenstein

Strengths: Solid big with determination and good level of coordination and productivity … A hard worker, mentally tough, no nonsense type of player … Solid mobility considering his size and has solid body control, though rarely leaves his feet for long  … Plays with a lot of confidence and consistency … Has a good feel for the game with the ability to shoot and pass it … Productive scorer, does a solid job of taking what the defense gives him and using his size to his advantage against smaller players … Good touch around the rim … Post footwork and skill set are solid, and uses technique with pump fakes and drop steps to gain angels to the basket … Boxes out well for boards… Post ability, in particular rebounding, is enhanced by attention to detail and fundamentals … Shows toughness, to fight for position in the post and grab rebounds …. Good at setting picks and popping or rolling to the basket … Not averse to contact … Will bully ball opponents when he can …  Improved as a spot up outside shooting threat, adding some efficiency as a sophomore (35% from three) … Jump shot shows solid form and some potential to further improve on efficiency .. Shows a lot of toughness, both mentally and physically …  Decent running in the open floor with good mobility for a 7-footer … At 20 and a half, is one of the younger prospects slated to go in the first round … Good dunker off two feet when he gets into open space and sheds a defender … Showed some improvement in his ability to handle the ball and take slower opponents off the dribble, particularly on broken plays or with the defense not set … Decision making and passing showed improvement in his sophomore year, he has nice vision for a big and will find cutting teammates with crisp passes … 2.8 assists per game. His passing ability is probably the most underrated aspect of his game, and coaches love bigs with vision, passing and understanding of the game …

Weaknesses: Solid floor but low ceiling type of prospect. Upside is questionable … Below the rim type …  An underwhelming athlete, not particularly fast or explosive … Shooting numbers improved from three, but nothing outstanding from behind the arch or stripe … Improved to 35% from three as a sophomore (28 as a FR) on one make per game … FT shooting actually dipped from FR to SO seasons (76 to 67%) if he can become a more reliable outside threat, it enhances his ability to stretch out the floor at the next level … Lack of length and explosiveness makes it difficult for him to score (and rebound) against athletic bigman … Lack of lateral speed hurts his ability to defend some … While he added some efficiency, his numbers did not improve dramatically from freshman season, granted he was one of the most productive freshmen in the nation playing at Duke … Lacks great length with a wingspan the same as his height (granted standing reach at 8’11 is good for a 4, but a little small for a 5) … Not a rim protector. Gives up defense, meaning offense needs to become better to compensate … Lacks much of a feel for shot blocking and timing and his lack of explosiveness is especially apparent in a defensive position … Recorded a 32.5 inch max jump, which is not terrible, but illustrates his physical limitations … Despite not turning 21 until November, his athleticism and statistical gain suggest he’s peaked to some degree … Not a plodder, but somewhat mechanical in his movements …

Notes: Measured: 6′ 10.75” barefoot, 229.8 lbs, 6′ 10.50” wingspan, 8′ 11.00” standing reach, 27 inch standing jump, 32.5 max jump at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine … Came into college as a five star recruit and a McDonald’s All American out of Westtown, NY … Led the Blue Devils in scoring … Averaged 15.8 ppg playing at one of the top colleges in the country … One of the most productive Power Conference bigmen in both of his college seasons …

Aran Smith 5/20/24