If Sam Presti elects to trade down into the lower portion of the second round is Nebraska product Isaiah Roby an option who could offer shooting?
The OKC Thunder will enter draft night tomorrow with the several unknowns. Will General Manager Sam Presti keep the 21st pick?
If not, will it result in the OKC Thunder completely exiting from the draft or will it end up being a trade down to acquire a less expensive prospect? Moreover, if recent rumors are true it seems Sam Presti is equally invested in trading assets to cut costs.
Specifics:
- Height: 6’8”
- Weight: 230
- Wingspan: 7′.1”
- Position: Forward
- Age: 21.3
- College: Nebraska
- Stat line: 11.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.3 steals
- Home Town: Dixon, Illinois
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 6/19/2019.
Skills:
Regardless of how Presti navigates the draft youngsters will likely form a good cross section of the 2019-20 roster and players like Isaiah Roby may be someone the team should take a long hard look at. While his 3-point shooting took a dramatic dip this past season at Nebraska he’s just one season removed from being a 40.5 percent sniper.
At his best he’s a more than capable ball handler with versatile scoring.
Weaknesses:
One glance at the vacillations Roby made statistically over his three years at Stanford speaks to the need for consistency. Although gains were made in his last season most specifically in rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks, however, there was equal regression in shooting areas specifically.
His drop off from both the perimeter and two-point areas of the floor is concerning. Couple that with a step back on free throw efficiency too and it makes one wonder if a change to his shooting mechanics were undertaken this past season.
At his worst, Roby is inconsistent, a poor defender and requires extensive work in the weight room to unleash his skills.
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Pro Comparison:
Kevin O’Connor: Thaddeus Young, Trey Lyles, Rodions Kurucs
Current Ranking:
- The Ringer: 37th
- NBA DraftNet: 44th
- CBS Sports: 44th
- ESPN: 39th
- Sports Illustrated: 46th
- Bleacher Report: 39th
- Busting Brackets: 38th
Is Roby someone the Thunder should invest in?
Ultimately, the OKC Thunder still need to add bodies whether they shed from the signed players as of the current day and the most likely (and economical) way to do that is via young assets.
That said, there are numerous options ahead of Roby already on the squad not getting minutes and the Nebraskan guard doesn’t check off enough boxes to make him a priority add.