Corey Kispert: SF, 6'7", 225 Lb's, 22.5 years old, Senior, Gonzaga.
31.8 mpg - 18.6 ppg - 52.9% fgp - 44.0% 3pp - 87% ftp - 5.0 rpg - 1.8 apg
Let me be clear from the beginning, Kispert is not an elite athlete. He's an average athlete but a very smart one. Kyle (slow mo) Anderson isn't a great athlete either. Neither is his running mate Dillon Brooks, or Stephen Curry, or Luka Doncic, or Trey Young. The knock on Larry Bird coming out of college was that he was a slow footed player who couldn't jump. Turned out he was a very good defensive player because he was smart. All those players listed were very skilled, and in some cases their other skills far outweighed their defensive liabilities. Think Trey Young.
If I were to comp Kispert I would say that he's a cross between Joe Harris and JJ Redick. Kispert was the best shooter in college basketball last season, and he's been consistent most of his four years at Gonzaga. Freshman year 35.1% - Sophomore year 37.4% - Junior year 43.8% - Senior year 44.0%. And he averaged 6.4 three's a game this past season. His last two games of the year were two of his worse, and there's no doubt that he didn't adjust to the defensive scheme by both UCLA and Baylor, but am I supposed to ignore everything he accomplished prior to that. That's ridiculous!
Make no mistake, Kispert was the number one option on Gonzaga, and both UCLA and Baylor wisely decided that he wasn't going to beat them. On a team like the Kings, he's likely to be the number four option, maybe number three. I doubt any team is going to make him the focus of their defense. Kispert can score from anywhere on the floor, and he can score with either hand at the basket. As I stated earlier, he's a very smart player. He doesn't try and do what he's not capable of. He doesn't force things, and he's the ultimate team player. He's an awesome off the ball player, constantly moving and sliding into the open spot on the floor. As another comp, Kyle Korver comes to mind as well.
Kispert is a pretty good passer as well. Once again, he makes the safe pass and doesn't try to be Magic Johnson. Defensively, my main criticism with him, and its something he can't do anything about, is his lack of length. Kispert has very good lateral quickness and does a good job of keeping his man in front of him, but when posted up, he struggles against taller longer players. He's in good defensive position, but just not long enough at times. If he gets beat defensively, it's not for lack of effort. If you take the time to watch some of his games, you'll notice that in transition defense, Kispert is the first one back on defense about 80% of the time.
Effort is one of the things Kispert excels at. Kispert is a smart, tough, hardnosed player with a non stop motor. He's proven to be very durable as well. He already has an NBA body. I think he can be a better defensive player than many project when he improves his technic. Who knew that Dillon Brooks would be as good a defender as he's turned out to be. Kispert has many of Brooks attributes. Similar size, toughness, strength, and a non stop motor. Will he be that good? Don't know, but if he's half as good defensively, I'll be happy.
Here's a video of Kispert's tournament highlights. Obviously it doesn't show his misses in the last two games against UCLA and Baylor, but it does show that he still scored, although with less efficiency..
31.8 mpg - 18.6 ppg - 52.9% fgp - 44.0% 3pp - 87% ftp - 5.0 rpg - 1.8 apg
Let me be clear from the beginning, Kispert is not an elite athlete. He's an average athlete but a very smart one. Kyle (slow mo) Anderson isn't a great athlete either. Neither is his running mate Dillon Brooks, or Stephen Curry, or Luka Doncic, or Trey Young. The knock on Larry Bird coming out of college was that he was a slow footed player who couldn't jump. Turned out he was a very good defensive player because he was smart. All those players listed were very skilled, and in some cases their other skills far outweighed their defensive liabilities. Think Trey Young.
If I were to comp Kispert I would say that he's a cross between Joe Harris and JJ Redick. Kispert was the best shooter in college basketball last season, and he's been consistent most of his four years at Gonzaga. Freshman year 35.1% - Sophomore year 37.4% - Junior year 43.8% - Senior year 44.0%. And he averaged 6.4 three's a game this past season. His last two games of the year were two of his worse, and there's no doubt that he didn't adjust to the defensive scheme by both UCLA and Baylor, but am I supposed to ignore everything he accomplished prior to that. That's ridiculous!
Make no mistake, Kispert was the number one option on Gonzaga, and both UCLA and Baylor wisely decided that he wasn't going to beat them. On a team like the Kings, he's likely to be the number four option, maybe number three. I doubt any team is going to make him the focus of their defense. Kispert can score from anywhere on the floor, and he can score with either hand at the basket. As I stated earlier, he's a very smart player. He doesn't try and do what he's not capable of. He doesn't force things, and he's the ultimate team player. He's an awesome off the ball player, constantly moving and sliding into the open spot on the floor. As another comp, Kyle Korver comes to mind as well.
Kispert is a pretty good passer as well. Once again, he makes the safe pass and doesn't try to be Magic Johnson. Defensively, my main criticism with him, and its something he can't do anything about, is his lack of length. Kispert has very good lateral quickness and does a good job of keeping his man in front of him, but when posted up, he struggles against taller longer players. He's in good defensive position, but just not long enough at times. If he gets beat defensively, it's not for lack of effort. If you take the time to watch some of his games, you'll notice that in transition defense, Kispert is the first one back on defense about 80% of the time.
Effort is one of the things Kispert excels at. Kispert is a smart, tough, hardnosed player with a non stop motor. He's proven to be very durable as well. He already has an NBA body. I think he can be a better defensive player than many project when he improves his technic. Who knew that Dillon Brooks would be as good a defender as he's turned out to be. Kispert has many of Brooks attributes. Similar size, toughness, strength, and a non stop motor. Will he be that good? Don't know, but if he's half as good defensively, I'll be happy.
Here's a video of Kispert's tournament highlights. Obviously it doesn't show his misses in the last two games against UCLA and Baylor, but it does show that he still scored, although with less efficiency..
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