College basketball is, for the most part, dominated by powerful and imposing big men. However, every once and a while what a team really needs is a crafty and dynamic guard who can run opposing teams into the ground. That's exactly what the Indiana State Sycamores found when Isaiah Swope transfered to Terre Haute from Southern Indiana. The junior guard isn't even six-feet tall, and yet he plays as if he were the biggest guy on the court every night. His energy and raw talent has willed Indiana State to the top of their conference, and has put them in the conversation as one of the top mid-major programs in the country.
pc: Joseph C. Garza/Terre Haute Tribune-Star
What really makes Swope special is his combination of offensive firepower and active defense. We've seen this archetype before, the best example in recent memory is Kentucky's Tyler Ulis. Swope is very similar to Ulis on the defensive end of the floor, but he's a better scoring threat than Ulis ever was. Swope isn't the playmaker or floor general that Ulis was, but a ton of similarities are very apparent. Ulis proved that this type of guy can make it at the next level, and I am fully convinced that Swope has that next level ceiling. I want to go over his elite three-point shooting, his legit ability to finish around the rim, and his pesky defensive play to show you why Isaiah Swope should be on your radar.
The most impressive part of Swope's game is his shooting beyond the arc. Of his 19.7 points per game, 11.3 of those point come from three. That's nearly 60% of his total workload, and he's still managing to shoot 45% from this range. This is all fine and good, I mean these numbers alone should tell you all you need to know to determine that Swope is an elite deep threat. However, what makes him a legitimate three-point shooting prospect is that he can get these shots in every way possible. Catch and shoot? Easily. Off the dribble? Yup. Step-back? Sure thing. And probably even more ways that I didn't even know were an option.
The catch-and-shoot triple...countless players have made entire careers off of their ability to knock these down. For Swope, though, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his shooting prowess. See here, an everyday catch-and-shoot three from the corner.
Great looking mechanics on that shot right? Now take that, and make it from Curry range...
From those two clips you should have a decent idea of just how good of a shooter Swope is. However, what most scouts look for with prospects is their ability to create their own shot. Not only can Swope do this, but he does it at an elite level.
When you're only 5'10" you have to be able to create space. In that clip you see Swope put his defender through three circles of hell to do just that. He immediately fakes the inside pass to get the defender up on his toes and off balance. Then the jab step sits the defender on his heels and separates the two. Finally a step-back creates all the space Swope needs to get what is basically a wide-open shot.
Here's another example:
This one is pretty cut and dry, it's just a classic snatchback. It's the ferocity that he uses when he does the move that impressed me. Look how quick he swings the ball back and gets into his shooting motion. Look at the defender, completely frozen in place for too long to get a contest on the shot. Just a beautiful way to get open before knocking down the three.
Now for the pull up action. Whether it's from five feet behind the arc or off of a screen, Swope has a fantastic game pulling up from three with or without a dribble.
When a player is as consistent with his pull-up three as Isaiah Swope is, it opens up the court. Opponents have to respect the pump fake, and they can't go under screens, this allows for Swope to be very dangerous attacking the rim. About 27% of his points come via layups, by far the second biggest chunk of his scoring output. You wouldn't expect the smallest guy on the court to be so lethal on the drive, but that's just what Swope is.
Like I said, defenders have to respect the pump fake, and in that clip it led to Swope having one less defender to contest his tough bucket at the rim. Even with that, though, there's no way he should've made that layup. He navigates through three defenders with ease, and to be honest with you, he somehow made that shot look somewhat uncontested.
Two similar looks at how Swope attacks after a screen is set, both resulting in a bucket. In the first he uses an off speed step to throw the big man off, leading to an open layup. In the second he slices between the two help defenders, once again gifting himself a free bucket. He's a smart attacker with a deep bag, which allows him to make up for his height.
The last part of Swope's game that I want to take a deeper look at is his defense. He is averaging 2.2 steals per game this season, and has proven himself to be an incredibly pesky on-ball defender. If you read enough of my work you'll realize very quickly just how much I value defense, and I see a defensive stud when I look at Isaiah Swope. In addition to that, he doesn't foul. He's averaging only 1.9 fouls per game.
These aren't perimeter defense clips (I apologize for the lack of Indiana State game film) but they show just how much of a pest Swope is. He's an opportunistic defender with quick hands and that equals steals and free points. It's the effort that he gives that makes him such an impactful player at that end of the court. No 5'10" guy should be coming up with blocks like this:
Like I said, it's an effort thing. That tells me that Swope is a driven player and a winning player. Players who fight hard on the defensive end always have the potential to be great on the offensive end, it's just that Swope is already great on the offensive end.
There are a few things that I think Swope does well that I think he should do more of. For being a 5'10" point guard he just doesn't pass the ball as much as he should. The majority of the playmaking for the Sycamores is done by the team's center (who will likely get a write up at some point). Swope shows flashes here and there of being a good playmaker, but 2.1 assists per game isn't enough from your primary guard. Again, he has shown flashes and I seriously think that if he put his mind to it he could average 5 or 6 assists a night.
See, he has the potential, he just needs to put it into effect more than one or two times per game.
I also think he doesn't take quite enough mid-range jumpers. Now, let me clarify. I will always take a good three-point shot over a good mid-range shot. However, sometimes Swope finds himself taking a tough three-point jumper instead of using a move to get into the mid-range for an easier shot. Again, when he does shoot these shots he looks great, he just doesn't shoot them enough. I think this would increase his scoring totals while also bettering his splits from three and from the field.
As far as weaknesses are concerned, he really doesn't have many. For the most part, the ones that he does have can be fixed with a bit of polishing. These include:
Height
Turnover prone
Below average playmaker
Free-throw shooting
I already discussed the playmaking so I won't talk too much about that. Obviously his height is an issue, but there's nothing he can do about that. At the end of the day heart is more important than height, and I think he is proving that. On paper his 1.7 turnovers per game doesn't jump out at you as too bad, but when you consider his assist numbers it doesn't look super promising. However, if he can focus on his playmaking, his turnover numbers will get better too. His free-throw shooting issue is by far the weirdest thing about his game. You would expect him to be an excellent shooter from the line, but it's just the opposite. Again, free-throw shooting is all about the time and work you put in to get better at it, and if he's willing to do that he should be fine.
All in all, what does Isaiah Swope look like as a prospect? I'm really not sure. If he had his exact same skill set but was five inches taller he'd be a draft pick. The issue is that as of right now he has a shooting guard skill set, and he simply cannot play shooting guard at the next level. In my opinion, everything hinges on his growth as a playmaker. We know he can score, we know he can shoot, we know he can defend, but can he be a point guard? If he can evolve and leave us answering yes to that question then I think Swope is a very legitimate prospect. I look forward to watching him and this great Indiana State team for the rest of this season, and hope he can quell the concerns that I brought up today while still being the electric player he's been all year.
all clips via Indiana State Sports Network