Sixers: 5 bold predictions for 2021-22 season
Sixers bold predictions: Isaiah Joe starts
Not on day one, of course. Isaiah Joe has a long ladder to climb before he’s part of the Sixers’ starting five. That said, by season’s end, my bold prediction is that Isaiah Joe will, in fact, start for the Sixers. Several factors will determine his exact path to starting, but the easiest candidate for him to replace is Danny Green, who occupies a similar offensive and defensive role, and who is notoriously on the wrong side of 30.
Joe has been lighting Philadelphia on fire all preseason. Four preseason games is hardly a strong baseline for season-long projections, but Joe’s production (roughly 16 points per game on 60 percent 3-point shooting) isn’t out of the blue. Dating back to Summer League, and even to sparse minutes last season, Joe has proven his mettle as a complementary talent at every turn. He has too many valuable attributes not to be a real NBA contributor.
Most obvious upon watching Joe is his 3-point shot. He’s the second-best shooter on the team behind Seth Curry, and he’s a much more trigger-happy shooter than Curry. Joe can shoot from any angle, from virtually any depth, and do so confidently. At 6-foot-5, he has excellent size for a player with his skill set, and his ancillary skills continue to impress. Joe is not a point guard, but he can beat closeouts with floaters, pull-up jumpers, and nifty passes.
What cements Joe’s trajectory as a future starter, however, is his defense. Coming out of college, there were valid concerns about Joe’s ability to handle NBA physicality. He’s still thin, but Joe has been a remarkably strong team defender up to this point. He knows his spots, doesn’t get burned in space, and competes his tail off. He is a better defender than the guards and wings ahead of him in the rotation, and frankly, he’s a more dynamic offensive threat than most of them, too.
It will take time for Doc to fully embrace Joe, but once he does, expect a swift rise in prominence for the 22-year-old out of Arkansas.