Isaiah Coleman Player Evaluation

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Isaiah Coleman

National Christian Academy (MD)

Team Melo (Nike EYBL)

Class

2023

Height

6'4"

Weight

~180 lbs

Position

Strong Hand

Right

Committed

College of Charleston

April 2022

Statistical Sample for the 2021-22 Season (10 Games)

Statistics from the 1st & 2nd EYBL Sessions (8 Games)

Physical/Athleticism

Very good overall athlete
Contact player who can interchange between finesse and a rugged style of play
- Prefers the rugged style
- Plays with toughness
Nice length on the perimeter that serves him well in multiple areas, as you will read
Plays big on both ends of the floor
- Plays with strength
  - Leverages lower body strength
Explosive bounce on the break off of one foot

No problem jumping off two feet either

Superior timing
Great hand-eye coordination
Good first step
Excellent body control
Strong motor
Maintains good physical conditioning – plays heavy minutes
Adequate speed
Open hips with skillful agility and footwork
Terrific balance

Other Offensive Qualities

Offensive Qualities

An aggressive, crafty scorer with a growing 3-level attack
- At times, his attack can be tireless. He will keep coming at you; very persistent.
- Puts a lot of pressure on the defense on the interior and exterior
Plays the game in a basketball position; operates out of the triple threat position
Capable of scoring in a variety of ways, starting with his relentless attack on the painted area off the dribble, with intentions of getting all the way to the rim. Will adjust according to the defense. Very difficult to stop when he gets downhill. His attack is 95% off the dribble from various points of attack:
- Traditional dribble drive from the perimeter
  - At his best off the bounce when he is moving more north-south than east-west with one dribble move or none at all. This is when his burst shows most.

Tough guard in iso situations

Persistent with the dribble, and will combine multiple dribble moves, replace himself with the dribble, or reset and attack again in order to get where he wants to go
Has a tough right-to-left crossover
Can be seriously crafty with the ball
- Uses a deadly change of pace

A very tough guard on the catch. Great jab-step series to set up a good, angled first step.

Semi-transition opportunities
- Always looking to identify a driving lane and attack, which generally consists of straight-line drives or a single change of direction, followed by deceleration and euro-like steps

Uses a deceptive change of pace that ends with a burst to the finish

Transition/open court push – puts tremendous pressure on the defense
- Possesses the abilities to board and push it himself, run the wing as a finisher, or receive the outlet to run the break as the ball handler
- Very effective on the board and push, placing pressure on defenses to stop ball and protect the rim
  - Difficult to stop when he is coming down the pipe with the ball in his hands. Uses a combination of high-quality change of direction, misdirection, speed, and footwork.

Will increase his effectiveness and pressure placed on defenses by adding to his drive-and-kick abilities

Post (mid-post or from the block)
- Craft extends to his play on the block

Capable of operating from the post on either side of the floor with equal effectiveness
Able to post bigger players effectively
Often displays good patience and a will to get to the rim instead of settling for a fallaway jumper, although that is also in his repertoire, too (see further below for more on that)

Turning the corner out of pick-and-roll play

More on his assault on the painted area
- Again, exceptional deceleration coupled with superb footwork

Has a knack for sliding through tight spaces in traffic
- Showcasing his craft
- Employs subtle footwork to keep the defender(s) off balance
- Can try to force it through traffic off the dribble at times
Will drive going right or left, but is more prone to pull-up for the jumper going left
Finishing
- Converts through contact and traffic; has a strong understanding of how to draw contact (30.7% FTr in 18 games charted)
  - Often seeks contact, and will do so either on the floor in route to the rim or on the attempt itself
    - Will take it straight to the body of the defender
    - Absorbs contact well and can follow it with a quality attempt
  - Not afraid to challenge rim protectors
  - Finishes with power

Has a tendency to miss chip shots around the rim, especially the first of multiple attempts that he often finishes or draws contact
Finishes well above the rim in transition

Uses an assortment of floater shots in the lane when he doesn’t get all the way to the rim. These shots are creative, impromptu shots that result from feeling the defense around him. He puts really nice touch on these shots, and gets them high in the air. These shots are one of primary elements of his craft scoring.
- Really has a versatile set of shots from 12 feet and in, and shoot it off of both feet or either individual foot

Great body control going to the rim and on attempts in the paint

Tough shot maker from midrange and 3-point distances
Moves at his own pace and is difficult to speed up, but can be forced into poor shot attempts
Improved midrange game, where he has advanced his ability to get to spots and elevate
Able to mix up his attack between pull-ups, getting all the way to the rim, an assortment of shots in between as well as his 3-point ability – all providing enough to keep the defense off balance. Further, he has improved his ability to create space for his pull-ups using:
- 1, 2, and 3 dribble pull-ups in a variety of situations (dribble hand-offs, jab-step series, shot fakes, dribble moves, etc.)
  - Covers nice ground with his dribble and elevates nicely over or away from the defender

Iso space creation

Tends to use too many dribbles in iso situations to accomplish his objective, and will benefit by becoming more efficient in the half court
- Extremely effective when his moves with the ball are more direct and efficiently used
Understands how to get the defender’s momentum moving against them and is ever-learning to let his feel dictate his decision-making
- Pushes the defense backwards with the threat to drive

Will benefit from implementing his pull-up going right more often. He is certainly capable, as he has shown the ability.

Employs his sound jab-step series from midrange
- Will post, catch, face up and get into his jab-step series

Utilizes a nice fallaway jumper fading left from the mid-post
- This is an area where he really leverages that lower body strength
Likes to go to a really nice one-legged KD/Dirk that he sets up by making contact with the right shoulder as he steps into the defender, then pushes off to create the space to move into the shot

Developing consistency as a 3-point shooter, both on the catch and off the bounce (read more in the “Shooting” section below)

Has added a pull-up 3 to his repertoire, whether in half court situations or in semi-transition

Has a full or a half step-back going left to create space off the bounce

Shows the increased ability to shoot it off his right-to-left crossover, whether it’s a drive into a pull back or more of an east-west move

Utilizes a catch, face, and release that is shot with a comfortable rhythm

Can also pull-up off of ball screens in the half court

Will benefit from moving more without the ball to make the game easier on himself
- Has a tendency to try to do too much with the dribble, resulting in the loss of possession
As mentioned before, he has a deadly change of pace that he applies to various situations

Very effective transition player who uses a competent handle and covers good ground to eventually finish with decelerated footwork to maneuver through traffic

Tends to go through stretches of games where he struggles with ball security, usually via careless ballhandling/passing
Productive pick-and-roll player on a smaller than ideal sample size
- Uses good angles on the pick and understands how to utilize his body to create advantages
- Coming off looking to score, and will do so from any level depending on how he is being played
Excellent offensive rebounder – unrelenting at times
- Uncanny timing, sticky fingers, and a terrific second jump
- Shows off his length, strength, and desire/motor
- Often rebounds his own miss multiple times before converting or drawing the foul

Another way he plays bigger than he really is
- Willing to battle with the big boys
Tracks the ball well in the air and has good judgment for where it’s coming off the rim
- Often in the right place at the right time

Shooting

Proficient midrange shooter with growing proficiency from 3
Improved midrange game, where almost everything is off the dribble in some form

Tough shot maker who’s lower percentages from the field are significantly impacted by the difficulty of his shot choices
- Not only a tough shot maker, but a timely one, too

Progressing 3-point shooter. Has proven to be a bit streaky throughout the course of the season and into the spring. Overall, he’s still working on consistency. Percentage should improve with a better shot selection.
- Shot 30.1% over the 18 games charted
- Like most, he shoots a higher percentage on the catch when he has time to set, gather, and shoot in rhythm
- Shoots a set shot with time; shoots a jump shot off the bounce against a contest

Improving catching and shooting off of movement
- Still working to perfect his footwork as he comes off of screens and other movements

Needs time to get it off due to his mechanics (see below). Release is quicker off the dribble than on the catch, so he is able to get it off better in self-creation situations.
Has deepened his range with consistency

Increasing in confidence seemingly by the game

Shot 73% from the foul line on 5 attempts per game in the 18 games charted
Form/mechanics
- Right foot is leading out in front, most likely correlating with his left shoulder hanging open, rendering him un-squared to the rim on the shot
- Multiple motions
- Low elbow that is well below a 90-degree angle
- Release point is from the bridge of his nose from midrange and high school/college 3-point distance. It is lower from deeper distances.
- Shoots up, finishes up with a good follow through – puts great arc on the ball
- Often kicks his head back just after the release, giving it an awkward look/feel
Shot selection
- A significant portion of his shots come off the dribble from his own creation
  - Again, will benefit from learning to play off the ball by moving with purpose
- Has a balanced shot mix between all 3 levels
  - 32.1% of his total attempts came from 3 in the 18 games charted
- Part of his aggressiveness includes a proclivity to force shots, both from the outside and at the rim
  - Love his willingness to attack the painted area as a scorer
See the notes on his finishing ability in the “Offensive Quality” section above for additional insight

Dribbling

Possesses good ball skills
Competent ball handler at the point of attack in the half court
- Effective dribble moves going right or left, with a preference for going left
  - Made with force
- Makes clever and heady use of the dribble to create angles and create space
- Has a tendency to get too close to the defender and then attempt to perform a dribble move, resulting in the loss of control or possession
- Prefers to move right-to-left
Good handle in the open court/transition
- Covers ground with good speed
- Smooth moves with the ball performed at high speed
- Strong misdirection dribbles coupled together with great footwork
- Solid ball control
- Good speed dribble with excellent control of his body and the ball. Shows speed with the ball in transition, but still generally moves at his own pace.

Strong with the ball. Can take the bump on the floor and keep moving forward without disturbing the dribble.

Tends to use too many dribbles without purpose in the half court
Handles in nearly all scenarios from a basketball position
Replaces himself well with the dribble
Addressed full court man pressure adequately (small sample size)
Very comfortable with the ball in his left hand
Owns a crisp right-to-left crossover that he can use in a variety of situations
Equally skilled with either hand

Passing

Again, he has good ball skills, so he has the potential to improve as a passer. He’s shown to have a good touch and placement on a variety of passes, such as this post entry look from the top of the key.

Capable play maker
- Creates passing lanes with his on-ball effectiveness
- Must learn to make adjustments and expand his floor vision
- Passing can be a little sloppy off the live dribble
Will advance the ball with the pass from the backcourt

Puts nice air and touch on the pass to streaking teammates
Tends to develop some tunnel vision on his way to the basket, and will improve his value by increasing his willingness to locate and deliver to perimeter shooters

Defense

Solid, very capable defender who is able to defend multiple positions, including larger wings. Often strings together full defensive possessions where he is extremely effective on the ball, switching, and finishing possessions by blocking out/rebounding or contesting.

Capable of contributing to his team’s overall defensive value at the next level
Generally takes defense seriously
Understands team defensive concepts and is capable of executing on game plans
On ball defense

Plays with anticipation and moves his feet
Capable of exerting ball pressure
Pushes off well to either direction
Opens hips nicely on the drop step and also has good recovery when he chooses to stick with the dribble drive
Can really get down and defend
- Next step is doing so every possession
Maintains balance between some ball pressure and the strategy of simply keeping his man in front
Understands how to force the ball handler into help

Smart hands in the passing lanes

Stands straight up-and-down off the ball
Maintains a decent balance of attention between ball and man
Good position defender

Strong positional rebounder who, again, follows the flight of the ball well in the air and possesses good judgement on where the ball is coming off the rim
- Clever; employs subtle tactics to give him the advantage
- Goes and gets the ball

Basketball IQ

Shows awareness of time and score, like this conversion with 1 second on the shot clock

A very heady, crafty player
Has an advanced scorer’s feel to the game
Excellent usage of his body
Plays good position basketball on both ends
Has innate “basketball intuition”; instinctive on the court
Hard to speed up; plays at his own pace

Dispostion/Presence

Disposition/Presence

Calm demeanor with occasional demonstrations of frustration and/or competitive fire
Shows the ability to remain composed under pressure
Competitor who often rises to the occasion
Fearless
Very confident
Wants the ball in the clutch
Strong motor

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