Indiana Pacers Prospects: Corey Kispert, an absolute shooting flamethrower

What weaknesses would Corey Kispert bring to the Indiana Pacers?

Defense: Too lacking to ever be more than an average stopper

While his previously stated 6-foot-7, 220-pound bulky build and above-average feel for the game are traits that could boost his defensive abilities, Kispert has real issues laterally and his fundamentals aren’t exactly incredible either.

His body makes him a hideable defender, and you could probably put him on the opposing team’s worst wing or forward and live off of that, but he won’t be the kind of defender that can repeatedly stop the elite play-creators of our game. He’s just simply lacking in areas that can make a great defender, and almost all of it can be attributed to his lack of verticality and lateral movement.

Shot-creation and advantage creation: Not an ideal skill set for this role

While Kispert and his otherworldly gift to shoot the rock will always make him a pull-up threat, I’m not sure he’ll find loads of success as a shot creator in the NBA. Again, it comes down to his lack of a true quick first step, and his handle and pacing aren’t good enough to dependably create advantages against average wings in a one on one context.

We’ve for sure seen unathletic players like Bird and Doncic succeed in these roles, but it’s because they were outlandishly skilled at advantageously changing pace with the live dribble, hitting contested pull-up shots, and knowing where their teammates were without even looking at them. Kispert just doesn’t yet have these tools in his bag, and he may never capture them, and that’s just fine.