Ranking 25-and-under Sixers — 5. Isaiah Joe
It feels like Isaiah Joe should have broken through by now. He has been on the breakout radar for practically his entire career now. His skill set suits the Philly offense perfectly, he has the makings of a genuine two-way player, and until this season, the competition for minutes wasn’t exactly stiff. And yet, Joe’s opportunities have been few and far between.
One could easily place the blame at Doc Rivers’ doorstep and be justified in doing so. Rivers’ stubbornness and lack of rotational flexibility has definitely been part of the reason behind Joe’s limited NBA exposure. He’s young and Rivers has never been one to let young players work out their kinks.
On the other hand, Joe is partially responsible too. We have seen Joe get minutes for Philadelphia. Perhaps not enough minutes, but minutes all the same — and what has he done with them? Last season Joe shot 33.3 percent from deep. For a player whose game revolves around the 3-point shot, that number has to improve.
There is ample reason for optimism with Joe long-term. He has NBA role player written all over him. His 3-point stroke is clean and he takes a lot of them. He famously took over 10 per game at Arkansas. His shot versatility makes him particularly well suited to Philly’s Embiid-based offense, but he would fit anywhere. He’s also a plus defender on the wing. In fact, Joe’s biggest NBA contributions have probably come on the defensive end. That is an area of major growth since college.