Isaiah Briscoe

After a decent start to the season, Isaiah Briscoes offensive game has seemingly reverted back to the extreme struggles he faced as a freshman, making just 1/15 3-pointers (7%) and 15/34 free throws (44%) in Kentuckys last ten games. With senior Dominique Hawkins blossoming as of late, providing unbelievable defensive energy off the bench, and even giving Kentucky some much needed floor-spacing from the corners (35% 3P% last ten games), John Calipari will have to figure out fairly quickly whether or not he can continue to play Briscoe down the stretch of big games with as much of an offensive liability hes become. Northern Kentucky may be the type of opponent Briscoe can use to help get his confidence back, because the Wildcats will need to find a third perimeter option they can pair alongside the tremendously gifted freshman duo of Malik Monk and DeAaron Fox.

Jeremy Bauman

Regarded as a consensus top-15 prospect out of high school, Isaiah Briscoe has long been on the radar of NBA scouts as the result of a productive and winning prep career in which he excelled at St. Benedict's Prep and Roselle Catholic in New Jersey, on the Nike EYBL circuit and as a member of the USA team that won the U18 FIBA Americas tournament in 2014. He capped off an impressive prep career with selections to the 2015 McDonald's and Jordan Brand All-American games before to departing for his freshman season in Lexington.

With accolades come expectations, and though he flashed bursts of potential in his first season, especially as a slasher, creator, defender and rebounder, the combo-guard verified that he wasn't yet capable of sinking perimeter shots on a consistent enough basis to take his game to the next level.

Operating primarily at the small forward position, despite spending most of his life with the ball in his hands, Briscoe struggled to find his spots alongside draft picks Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray, likely causing him to look somewhat worse than he might have on a team with less talent and a role better suited to his strengths.

Briscoe wasn't even invited to the 2016 NBA Combine in Chicago, showing just how much his draft stock had fallen by the time to spring came around, leaving him little choice but to return to school rather than risk going undrafted. He'll now attempt to show NBA scouts he can diversify his skill-set and take on a leadership role for a young Wildcats team, while again trying to showcase his talent with the ball in his hands among a crowded backcourt.



Powerfully built at 6-3 and 218 pounds, Briscoe has an exceptional 6-9.5 wingspan to go with long and strong hands, wide shoulders and a big frame, all of which makes for an intriguing physical profile from a combo-guard. He has a strong first step, is particularly tough to stop when he gets a head of steam and changes gears and directions efficiently off the bounce. Briscoe relies heavily on his strength at the college level, and plays mostly below the rim from an explosiveness standpoint.

There is no doubt that shooting remains the biggest weakness in Briscoe's game, as the first-year guard made just 5 of his 37 3-point attempts, and 46% of his free throws, contributing to his very poor 46% true shooting percentage, and the fact that opposing teams didn't even pretend to try and defend him on the perimeter by the end of the season, making things very difficult on his teammates.

His main deficiencies as a shooter are his wide base, rigid upper body, tendency to lean back when rising into his shot and inconsistent release point. He does have a knack for finding space to pull-up in pick-and-roll and isolation scenarios, and proved to be capable of making such shots once in a blue moon, but he has a long ways to go in all facets of his jump-shot, something that is imperative to fix considering he's not a freakish athlete or a brilliant passer. He looked more comfortable as a shooter in the past with the ball in his hands, oftentimes showing the skills and poise to make multiple dribble moves before pulling up, but was unable to show too much in this area last season operating strictly off the ball.

At the high school level, Briscoe proved to be far more confident, creative, strong and decisive as a ball-handler and playmaker. A righty, he's at his best when driving to his left in transition, isolation or in the pick-and-roll, where he deploys an explosive and rhythmic hang-dribble, in-and-out combo move before using straight-line drives, changes of speed and direction, long strides and quality footwork to get into the paint. The rising sophomore isn't an explosive above-the-rim threat, but has some craftiness to compensate, maneuvering to finish with either hand around the rim, though he's more daring with his left. As strong of a slasher as he is, Briscoe needs to be more patient creating, absorbing and finish through contact at the rim, along with adding more tricks to his floater game, if he's going to have success at the next level.

A solid passer with good vision in drive and dish situations, Briscoe averaged 4 assists per-40 minutes as a freshman. His value as an initiator lies in his versatility, as he proved to be an innovative threat passing out of the middle and low post for the Wildcats, along with attacking the pick-and-roll. He can pass with both hands and is equipped with the understanding and capability to hit open perimeter shooters or cutters in stride after driving the baseline.

As is the case with most freshmen guards, there were times where he should have made the simple decision but instead tried to make a big play. He's still working on becoming a more efficient decision maker and further experience should fuel growth. A key variable is how well Briscoe meshes with freshman guards De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, our number one and three ranked prospects in the SEC. Briscoe will have to use the experience he garnered last season to force his way into more extended backcourt minutes and playmaking responsibilities as a sophomore.

With a 6'9 ½ wingspan combined with excellent foot speed, strength and a high motor, Briscoe can defend three positions at the college level and thrives as an on-ball and pick-and-roll defender, as he doesn't mind fighting over the top of a screen when necessary and is willing to take a charge. He is active and competitive along with being disruptive in passing lanes and in loose ball situations thanks to his quickness, strong hands and basketball IQ.

Off the ball, the lengthy guard needs to be more aware of his surroundings, as he can lose track of the ball or his man, but it's possible for him to recover most times at the college level thanks to his strong close-out technique and length.

A quality rebounder considering his size, Briscoe posted 6.7 rebounds per-40 last season, as he boxes out well and hustles on the glass on both ends. Looking forward to the next level, Briscoe has the potential to become an effective option to cover either backcourt position, and his time under John Calipari has clearly made him a significantly better defender, something that was considered a major weakness of his in high school.

Briscoe, who will be 21 by the time the 2017 Draft rolls around, should have no shortage of motivation heading into a pivotal sophomore season. Taking a healthy step forward as a shooter, playmaker and leader for a Kentucky team with Final Four caliber talent would further establish his potential as a combo-guard while enhancing his pro prospects for the next level.

Isaiah Briscoe was measured with just 8.5% body fat, which is extremely impressive considering how much of a concern this was for much of his high school career. Having lost 14 pounds over the last 6 months since he was measured at the Nike Hoop Summit, Briscoe tipped the scales at an impressive 200 pounds. Measuring 6'2.5 in shoes, Briscoe is about an inch off his typical height measurements, but nonetheless has nice size for a point guard, especially when you factor in his 6'8 wingspan, which should allow him to see time defending shooting guards and even small forwards at the college level. Briscoe's 37 inch maximum vertical jump and 2015 UK Pro Day-best 10.25 second lane agility time are both better than expected. Like Murray, he has always been known more for his skill-level and aggressiveness than for his athletic ability. It will be fascinating to see how Briscoe's trimmed down frame translates to the floor this season. His numbers compare favorably to those of Deron Williams who measured 6'2.74 in shoes with a 202-pound frame and a 6'6.25 wingspan to go along with a 35 inch maximum vertical leap

Mike Schmitz continues our coverage of the top NBA prospects in the SEC with a video scouting report of the #6 prospect in the conference, Kentucky's Isaiah Briscoe.

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More DX Conference Preseason Previews:
-The Top 20 NBA Draft Prospects in the Pac-12
-The Top 20 NBA Draft Prospects in the Big East
-The Top 15 NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 12

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Top NBA Draft Prospects in the SEC
(#1) Skal Labissiere (Scouting Video)
(#2) Ben Simmons (Scouting Video)
(#3) Jamal Murray (Scouting Video)
(#4) Malik Newman (Scouting Video)
(#5) Damian Jones (Scouting Video)

#6, Isaiah Briscoe, Freshman, PG/SG, Kentucky

Strengths:



Weaknesses:



Mike Schmitz is the video analyst for DraftExpress. Follow him on twitter and check out his archive. He will be breaking down the NBA draft in digital format all year long for us.

-Kentucky signee Isaiah Briscoe measured 6'2.25 barefoot with a 6'9.5 wingspan at 216 pounds. He's trimmed four pounds of weight from his last USA Basketball measurement in 2014, which is a major point of emphasis for him with his somewhat stocky frame. He has outstanding size for a point guard, as the only other notable point guards in our database with wingspans over 6'9 and standing reaches over 100-inches include Dante Exum Shaun Livingston, Tony Wroten, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall. Briscoe is considered somewhat of a combo, but has spent quite a bit of time with the ball in his hands at the high school and AAU level, and will need to play a major playmaking role for this squad which lacks much in the way of elite guards.

An interview with elite guard prospect Isaiah Briscoe of the USA Junior National Select Team at the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit.

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More DX Nike Hoop Summit Coverage
-Final Game Recap
-Nike Hoop Summit Shooting Drills: George Lucas
-Nike Hoop Summit Shooting Drills: Zhou Qi
-Chase Jeter Interview
-Brandon Ingram Interview
-Jamal Murray Interview
-Luke Kennard Interview
-Malik Newman Interview
-Caleb Swanigan Interview
-USA Scrimmage Two
-World Team Practice Day Five
-World Team Practice Day Four
-Ivan Rabb Interview
-Nike Hoop Summit Shooting Drills: Skal Labissiere
-Nike Hoop Summit Shooting Drills: Tai Wynyard
-Team USA Scrimmage One Recap
-Cheick Diallo Interview
-Tai Wynyard Interview
-One on One Drills: Skal Labissiere vs Thon Maker
-Federico Mussini Interview
-International Practice: Day Three
-USA Practice Day One
-Skal Labissiere Interview
-Ben Simmons Interview
-International Practice Recap Days One and Two
-World Select Team Measurements and Analysis
-USA Junior National Select Team Measurements and Analysis
-International Roster Breakdown

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Isaiah Briscoe – 9 PTS, 9 AST, 3 STL, 2 TOs, 3-for-7 FGS in 19 min

Briscoe did a handful of nice things for the US Team, forcing turnovers in the back court, slashing through the World Team's zone defense and finishing shooters or cutters, and initiating contact in the paint and earning trips to the line. Briscoe has excellent court vision and feel and is a load as a penetrator. Some of Briscoe's flaws also showed on Saturday. He committed several low IQ fouls, airballed a very important free throw late in the game, missed a pull up jumper badly and almost airballed a floater in the lane. Briscoe is an ox at the PG spot and has great feel, but needs to improve as a shooter to make up for his lack of explosiveness.

Isaiah Briscoe
Height (w/ shoes): 6-3.5
Height (w/o shoes): 6-2.5
Weight: 217.8
Wingspan: 6-8
Standing Reach: 8-4.5

Briscoe's measurements are consistent with those taken at multiple venues over the last 3 years, although he may have grown half an inch to an inch and could easily be listed at 6-4 next year by Kentucky. Though he isn't the same caliber of athlete as Marcus Smart, he stacks up fairly well with the rookie in terms of sheer size. Smart measured 6-2 without shoes with a 6-9.25 wingspan and a 227-pound frame last spring during the draft process. Briscoe ranks among the heavier lead guards in our database, even among college players, but he's done a good job as of late shedding baby fat and adding muscle.

Briscoe carved up the Ex-Legends' half court defense with his 220-pound frame, slick ball handling, change of speeds and ability to drive both ways and pass with both hands. The New Jersey-native found spot up shooters on the move, delivered smooth pocket passes to the bigs and finished in the paint and at the rim with both hands while also knocking down a mid range jumper.



Briscoe isn't an elite athlete, however, and struggled staying in front of Prichard, whose shot wasn't falling from deep but played with toughness on both ends and showed aggressiveness attacking the rim and distributing in the half court.

Briscoe may be better suited defending shooting guards at the college level as he's strong and long enough (6' 9” wingspan) to hold his own but lacks elite lateral quickness needed to stay in front of speedy point guards. Despite his average quickness on the defensive end, Briscoe's physical tools and tremendous feel for the game certainly stood out to NBA scouts and executives.

Isaiah Briscoe may only be 6-3 in shoes, but his 6-9 wingspan gives him able height to defend shooting guards.

Jonathan Givony

Strengths
-6-4 in shoes with a 6-9 wingspan and a very strong frame
-Skilled and creative ball-handler and passer
-Excellent court vision
-Makes simple passes with tremendous ease
-Finishes with both hands around the basket, often through contact
-Gets to the free throw line at a high rate
-Great instincts and anticipation skills, allows him to rebound very well from guard position

Weaknesses
-Smooth athlete, but not overly explosive
-Plays with a very lackadaisical approach
-Poor defender due to average lateral quickness and low intensity level
-Average perimeter shooter (32% 3P% in EYBL this season, 34% last season, on limited number of attempts)
-Low 2P%. Settles for some tough mid-range jumpers. Can have a difficult time gaining separation at times due to average first step

Outlook Intelligent player with an excellent feel for the game. Body, athleticism, conditioning looks much improved over past year. Combo guard who appears to be a good enough ball-handler and passer to spend some minutes at point guard in college. Needs to continue to work on outside shooting and defensive prowess.