Isaiah Livers is one of the best shooters in the lineup, and his All-Big 10 2021 season reflects that. As a junior, Livers averaged 13 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.7 BPG, and 1.1 TOPG on shooting splits of 46/43/87. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Isaiah Livers
Height/Weight: 6’7 / 232
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’9 / 8’8 ½
Hand size: 9 ½
Position: SF
College: Michigan
Tools: Shooting, rebounding
Pros:
- Excellent spot up shooter with a quick & simple release
- Strong post fadeaway and generally skilled in the post
- Good rebounder for a wing
- Intelligent player who knows where to be on both ends of the floor
- Strong defensive fundamentals
- Low turnover rate
Cons:
- Somewhat stiff defensively
- Needs to get more consistent shooting off the dribble
- Doesn’t get to the rim or free throw line often
- Needs to get better at scoring off of screens
- Often late to react to drives, forcing him out of position defensively
- Lacks much self-creation ability/moves
Overall:
Isaiah Livers is a sharpshooter with a high floor due to an incredible knowledge of the game. Offensively, Livers is rather limited in terms of quantity of things he can do, but he does a great job at the things he does. He has high potential as a spot-up shooter and a shooter off the dribble behind screens. He can also take mid range jumpers, both out of post-ups and coming off of screens off-ball. However, Livers is unlikely to be posting up much in the NBA, so that post skill may become obsolete in the NBA. Another area that helps Livers offensively is that he is a simple passer, but an intelligent and timely one. He can make the extra pass and find post mismatches accurately and quickly. A lot of Livers’ turnovers also won’t happen at the NBA, due to the limited role he will likely play. Defensively, Livers has stiff hips and overall slow recovery ability, limiting his effectiveness on that end. Along with lacking athleticism to get to the basket offensively, his lack of athleticism limits him on defense. Livers will have to learn to make up for his lack of athleticism with his strong basketball IQ. Look for Livers to fit with any win-now team needing shooting and rebounding help on the wings in the 2nd round.
Similar to: Jordan Nwora, Saddiq Bey, Keith Bogans, Todd Day
Projected draft range: 30-60
Best fits:
- Dallas Mavericks
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Brooklyn Nets
Expected role: Backup small forward shooter that can provide rebounding and some passing.
Unplayable if: Stiff defensive traits hold him back as a non-creator.
Exceeds expectations if: Defense is league-average, playmaking out of contests grows, and shooting translates.
Shot chart:
