Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert is worth considering for the Indiana Pacers in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Welcome to Pacer Prospects, the series where we will take a look at prospects in the 2021 NBA Draft that I think would be a great fit for the Indiana Pacers not only now, but for the foreseeable future.
Today we will be looking at Corey Kispert, who in my eyes is the best shooting prospect we’ve seen in years. The Gonzaga star is currently lighting up the NCAA and we’ll be looking at every aspect of his game including the strengths, weaknesses, and of course how he would fit in that navy and gold uniform schematically.
In this particular series, we won’t always be talking about the most hyped prospects, rather players that would schematically fit with the already-collected Indiana Pacers roster. With all of that being said, let’s get into this sharpshooter’s strengths first.
What skills would Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert bring to the Indiana Pacers?
Shooting: It doesn’t get much better than this!
Corey Kispert erupted into one of college basketball’s best players during this senior year after developing over four years, and one that could even make a case for a lottery pick this year, and a lot of that is thanks to his previously mentioned mastery as a three-point shooter.
His performance against Virginia could quite honestly be made into a sharpshooting Masterclass. Gonzaga completely massacred the poor Cavaliers, and that was thanks to Kispert bombing them with nine three-pointers in only 13 attempts. That’s nearly a 70% shooting rate behind the line against a legit ranked team and numerous shots in this game came from well behind the NBA three-point stripe.
This was possible because Corey is a near-perfect shooting prospect as he can seamlessly balance himself into a fluid shot from catches off the hop and 1-2 step alike. He’s a threat off screens, as a trailer, and of course in transition. He possesses a skill that has become crucial in playoff performing shooters, and that’s the ability to relocate before shooting to counter closeouts and other aggressive defensive stunts, and this is something Kispert has had in his arsenal for years.
Not only that, but Corey displays an effortless, and more importantly, quick stroke that doesn’t waste a motion in its fluidity. This season, he’s shooting a bonkers 48% on nearly 6.5 attempts and it’s clear he’ll walk into the NBA as a next-level shooter.
Slashing: An added layer to an already ripe scoring onion
Not only has this Bulldog’s shooting progressed, but his paint pressure has taken another step as well thanks to some athletic development and an added tighter handle.
What was a seriously slow player before has a bit more pep in his step than we’ve seen before this point. Moreover, despite being the kind of athlete that will never be close to touching a 30+ inch vertical jump, he counters this lack of verticality with soft touch and strength supplied from that bulky 6-foot-7, 220-pound frame that he uses well in the lane, and this aids his ability to finish with both hands.
He most commonly falls to this tool during strong closeouts and miscommunications and while he may not ever be LeBron James at the rim, his finishing is now far from liability levels.
Playmaking: A solid tertiary option
While he lacks a lot of potential in advantage creation and will never be a primary initiator thanks to his lack of a killer handle or speed needed to be that role, his intelligence and court awareness grant him the ability to hit the open man more often than not.
His playmaking may not be special, but he’s not the black hole that we see a lot of college stars become, and I think on a team like the Pacers that is loaded with wing scoring, you could extract a lot of value out of this part of his game. I expect him to be a low turnover player with some 4-6 assist games up his sleeve.
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.
With his skill-set analyzed, how would Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert fit with the Indiana Pacers?
Offense: General Sabonis’ new sniper
Offensively, I invite each and every person reading this to name a team in the entire league that this Gonzaga Bulldog wouldn’t fit on seamlessly. I’ll wait. Many fans of the Pacers alike describe Domantas Sabonis and his buddy Doug McDermott playing on the floor together as basketball purity.
The two-man game between these two bearded bucket getters is just beautiful to watch thanks to Sabonis’s next level playmaking and Dougie’s ability to cut, drive, or flare off the aforementioned big man to score at all three levels effortlessly.
With this future Gonzaga Alumni, we’d see the exact same dynamic that Doug and Domas share, only better. While McDermott is admittedly another three-point specialist with some serious driving chops, Kispert in my opinion may already be better than Doug thanks to an even more advanced shot profile.
It’d be common to see this Gonzaga connection resulting in Domas kick-outs to Kispert 25 footers and this would drive even the best defenses mad with the amount of attention you’d have to pay to this action.
Although he’ll be 22 before any NBA action, he could seriously clock in a 12+ year NBA career with his shooting alone, and he and Domantas would age seamlessly together.
He obviously wouldn’t just benefit Sabonis though, as his gravity would create a constant lane for the teams driving threats like Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, and the two T.Js.
Defense: Put him on their worst guy
While the offensive fit would be easy, it’s difficult seeing Kispert guarding anyone other than the most lacking offensive player on the opposing team. He could find solid value as a weakside help-man when Turner or Sabonis is out thanks to his strength and IQ, but it’s going to take some fundamental development to make him a real defender for this team.
We’ve covered his defense enough, and his shooting is good enough to mitigate any leaked value his defense might bring, which in theory may not be all that awful anyway in the right lineup.
As his stock may rise, the Indiana Pacers may have to trade up a few spots for the shooting prodigy.
None of this stuff matters if the Pacers aren’t willing to do what is necessary to draft what I’ve already described as an elite shooter in this draft. While realistically he won’t be at what will most likely be a Pacers’ 20th-ish pick, I think the Pacers would be silly not to trade up 5-10 spots for him.
A package of that pick, Goga, and either the minimally utilized Sumner or a couple of second-round picks (preferably the one acquired in the Dipo trade!) could likely get you there and it’d be far from an overspend.
Not only does picking him net you a great player now and for the future, but it’d also allow you to save money in the future that you’d pay on either Doug or Justin Holiday when their contracts expire.
Possible stats for Corey Kispert as a rookie for the Indiana Pacers.
If he does land with us and stays healthy, it’d be reasonable to see Corey average 10-13 points on 45/40/90 splits in a great situation for his development.