The 2021 NBA Draft is right around the corner, and Sam Presti has compiled six picks in the upcoming draft. That leaves the OKC Thunder with a ton of wiggle room, they can afford to take high upside swings, trade up or down in the draft, and even help facilitate trades as a third team. One name to keep an eye on in the upcoming draft is G-League Ignite forward Isaiah Todd.
Todd’s evaluations range anywhere from a first-round talent to a second-round flyer. The lack of hype surrounding the G-League Ignite product is puzzling when you factor in his NBA-Ready body, athleticism, and ability to space the floor.
OKC Thunder draft prospect profile for Isaiah Todd:
Specifics:
- Height: 6’10
- Weight: 206
- Wingspan: 7’1
- Position: Forward
- Birthdate/Age: 10/17/2001, 19
- College: N/A, G-League Ignite
- Stat line: 12.3 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, 0.8 assists per game
- Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Box Score Statistics:
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/20/2021.
Current Ranking:
- The Ringer: 21st
- NBA DraftNet: 26th
- ESPN: 47th
- CBS Sports: 46th
- NBA: N/A
- Bleacher Report: 49th
- FanSided The Step Back: N/A
With that let’s dive a little deeper into Isaiah Todd to determine his strengths and weaknesses, and his potential fit with the OKC Thunder.
Isaiah Todd strengths and weaknesses
Strengths:
Isaiah Todd is a supreme athlete who can blow by defenders on his way to the rim. Once he is at the rack, Todd is a strong finisher. His ability to absorb contact and power through is second to none. The G-League Ignite product also flashes an ability to keep defenses off balance with a feathery touch around the rim. As defenses gear up to stop him running down the lane like a locomotive, Todd can also pull up for a soft floater. His unpredictability allows him to thrive as an isolation scorer.
For his size, Isaiah Todd grades out as a plus ball-handler and an advanced passer making him the versatile forward, which at this point is a prerequisite for a Mark Daigneault-led team. While his 0.8 assists per game do not show it, Todd is a capable passer that understands how to inject flow into an offense. The ball doesn’t “stick” to the 19-year-old thanks to his quick decision-making.
One of his best traits offensively is his ability to be a modern wing, his catch and shoot numbers are off the charts, and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s elite drive-and-kick ability, the pair could do damage to NBA Defenses.
At 19 years old, there is still untapped potential. With his offensive arsenal and his frame, a good developmental staff (which the Thunder have) could turn him into a go-to scorer at the NBA level.
Weaknesses:
In the G-Leauge Bubble, Isaiah Todd struggled with shot selection, at times he pressed and just simply tried to do too much. When the season was cut short, these young Ignite prospects only had a handful of games to impress NBA teams, while battling for minutes on coach Shaw’s squad littered with former NBA veterans. It led to some questionable decisions from Todd.
While his floor spacing is great offensively giving SGA a drive and kick option, Todd rarely crashes the glass as a play concludes. Which leads to his low rebound output for his size. Teams have to find the answer as to if the lack of attacking the glass is a product of coach Shaw’s system, or is Todd an unwilling board grabber?
As is the case with most prospects questions surround Todd as to how his defense will translate to the NBA game. At 6’8, 219 pounds is he big enough to switch onto centers? Maybe not. Is he at least fast enough to switch onto guards? That is also unlikely. Leaving him in an awkward middle ground, at least to start his career.
Pro Comparison:
If you really want to get optimistic about Isaiah Todd’s upside and potential, when you watch his G-League Ignite film, you can see some comparison to NBA Hall of Famer Chris Bosh. More specifically, the Miami Heat’s version of Bosh. In Miami, the Dallas Native put up seven rebounds per game, 18 points per game, with 49/34/80 shooting splits. While it would be a stretch to project Todd will follow the same path as a Hall of Famer, their playstyles and NBA roles are similar.
OKC Thunder fit:
More from Thunderous Intentions
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Isaiah Todd’s fit with the Oklahoma City Thunder could be perfect. While he projects as a bench player next season, his role could quickly be upgraded to a priority rotational piece or a borderline starter.
The spacing that Isaiah Todd provides on the perimeter opens up lanes for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who lives in the paint and does the majority of his facilitating down-low.
The Thunder offense last year hit historic lows at times, and totally stalled after SGA was shut down, adding a player who can create for himself, as Todd can, would be big for progressing on that end of the floor.
His ability to play small forward, power forward, and in certain matchups be a small-ball center would have Mark Daigneault falling head over heels for the prospect.
Todd might play a role in future roster moves if he is added to this OKC Thunder squad. Given his size and skill set, he and Isaiah Roby would be pretty redundant as “tweener forwards”. Todd’s three-point percentage, which projects to be much higher than Roby’s 29-percent from deep, could give him the edge long-term.
The OKC Thunder have already expressed interested in Isaiah Todd, who is one of my favorite prospects in this year’s NBA Draft. As the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to search for diamonds in the rough, and take on upside swings, this one could be a home run.