The Sixer Sense
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Do not Sleep on Jonathan Isaac Philadelphia 76ers

By Louis Vilotti

Jan 10, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) celebrates during the second half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) celebrates during the second half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /
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Defensive versatility is a great weapon to have in the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers love two-way players who can guard multiple positions. Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac potentially could defend at all five positions.

The Philadelphia 76ers face the 2017 NBA Draft third pick with a difficult decision of too many options.  The 2017 NBA Draft offers everything at three: great offense, great defense, great versatility, great overall.  But the challenging part is which option to prioritize? Jonathan Isaac possesses many of these qualities.

On one hand, the Golden State Warriors highlight lethal shooting. On the other hand, they are an elite team from a versatile defense. With  Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, they have the ability to switch on almost every ball screen, chase guys around the perimeter and contest shots at the rim.

Kevin Durant, who is known for his ability to score, also plays tremendous defense. Despite a height of 6-foot-9, he has the ability to guard virtually every position on the court.   That is on top of the ability to protect the rim. And that is what makes him so valuable to the Warriors.

Copy Cat

The NBA is a copy-cat league, meaning when teams have great success, other teams try to emulate them. In my opinion, it would be wise for other teams to add as many versatile players as possible. The Sixers have players like Ben Simmons, Robert Covington and Joel Embiid, who possess these traits, however, I think that they should be on the hunt for more.

There is a player in this draft that has incredible defensive potential and who is someone I can see being a Swiss Army knife on a championship team. That is Jonathan Isaac. Standing at nearly 7 feet tall, he has a lot of similar characteristics to Kevin Durant. They share the same thin body type and long wingspan. While you cannot compare Durant’s offensive prowess to Isaac’s limited offense, they share similar defensive skill-sets.

I am a huge fan of having a strong defense. So nobody is surprised when I discuss NBA prospects’  great defensive potential.  The Sixers were a great defensive team last year (when Embiid played) and the thought of adding someone like Isaac is very intriguing to me.