College Prospect Spotlight: Miami's Isaiah Wong

Notable Accolades 

There’s no question that Wong could have made the jump to the NBA two years ago. As a sophomore at Miami, he was a full time starter and averaged over 17 points per game. Even last year, Wong declared for the 2022 NBA Draft while maintaining college eligibility, worked out with several NBA teams, but ended up coming back for this most recent season. He’s now played four years at the college level in effort to win a championship, which he got fairly close to doing this season.

Set to be a quality prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft, he leaves Miami as a three-time All-ACC player and the ACC Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season.

A former four-star recruit, the 6-foot-4 guard played against a high level of competition at the high school level. This is a huge reason he was able to make an immediate impact at the college level, including multiple 20-point games as a freshman.

In the recent NCAA Tournament in which he led the Hurricanes to the Final Four, Wong notched an 8.4 C-RAM with a 79 DSI and 76 3PE according to Cerebro Sports. That's incredible impressive, as defense and perimeter shooting are two of the most important things in these postseason contests. When Miami needed a bucket most, Wong was always there to make a big play.

NBA Upside 

Wong truly has the ability to make an impact on both ends. He’s not the biggest guard, but is laterally quick and is extremely disruptive on that end. This led to 1.4 steals per game as a senior, as he navigated passing lanes and defended well on-ball.

He’s also an extremely advanced shotmaker, which was on full display in the tournament. While some of the top scorers in the country produce most of their points in rhythm or off the catch, Wong can legitimately create for himself and knock down tough shots. Whether it’s turnaround fadeaways, step back triples, or other NBA-level moves, that upside offensively jumps off the page.

It’s unlikely Wong is a first-round selection, especially given he’s already 22, but as a second rounder he would be a great selection for any team. It’s not hard to envision a scenario in which he becomes a spark plug rotation piece off the bench at the next level.