NBA 2017-18: Top 10 Iso Scorers During the Regular Season
When the baller is stuck on an island, face-to-face with the defender, with no help in sight and the shot-clock winding down, does he look to pass the ball or put on an exquisite display of isolation offense on his way to the rim?! That is what differentiates an extraordinary Iso scorer from the rest of the roster.
It requires elite level control and ball-handling skills to leave the defender grasping on thin air. One-on-one plays are usually a result of bad rotation and/or stagnant transition offense and end up putting the onus on an individual playmaker to bail the team out of a bad possession by conjuring something out of nothing.
It's a delight for the crowd to see such encounters but a nightmare for the coaches on either side.
The men who grace the following slides are some who are blindly trusted by their team and their respective coaches to take the initiative and produce highlight plays on their own. They rely on their skill-set to make the appropriate move to get by the defender and free themselves for a bucket scoring position.
Let's go through these offensively proficient individuals who reinvented isolation plays.
#10 Kyrie Irving
Stats: 3.7 ppg on 44% shooting, 1.04 points per possession
Kyrie Irving has solidified his position as one of the best if not 'the best' ball handlers in the ever-so-competitive league. His handles have been lauded by all-time greats such as Gary Payton and Allen Iverson, and there's no debate on the fact that his ability to finish at the rim with an adept use of the backboard is second to none.
The dagger three-pointer from the right wing in the 2016 Finals facing Steph Curry eye-to-eye when the game, the Finals Series and the Championship hung in the balance, gave the world a taste of this man's confidence in his individual isolation play.
His left knee ruled him out for the entire playoffs schedule this past season but the Celtics made it to the East Finals anyways.
It's horrifying to imagine what Boston would be capable of in the coming season with a fit Kyrie at their disposal at all times, but that is IF he chooses to stay with the franchise.