NBA Draft 2021: Is Corey Kispert worthy of a lottery selection?

Can Kispert be an effective NBA player?

While there are plenty of reasons to love Kispert’s game, there are equally as many to be wary of it translating to the NBA level. As previously mentioned, there have been countless collegiate three-point shooting wizards that fizzled out and never made a career for themselves in the NBA – what’s to say Kispert won’t be next? Between that and the lack of athleticism, the worries are warranted.

However, with those worries in mind, one quality stands out with Kispert that makes me believe he will be worthy of a lottery selection in the 2021 NBA Draft – his relentlessness and desire to be the best player he can be. Each and every year he improved his game at the collegiate level, and coaches, teammates, and his competition all praise his work ethic and addiction to getting better.

An already prolific shooter with an incredibly high basketball IQ, scoring the basketball comes relatively easy for Kispert. I expect Kispert to work very closely with the training staff of whoever he is drafted by in order to find a workout/diet regimen that helps eliminate some of the athleticism concerns surrounding him. If these strength and conditioning programs work and Kispert can find a way to be an average defender at the next level, you can bet he will be a contributor from day one in the NBA, just like he was at Gonzaga.

Now, on to everyone’s favorite part of a prospect preview – the player comparison!

• Ceiling: Kyle Korver
• Floor: Nik Stauskus

Yes, I realize Korver is one of the greatest three-point shooters to ever play the game. And yes, I realize Stauskus was a huge bust. The reason for these two players being the comparison is due to size, athleticism, and work ethic.

They all have similar size/athleticism, but Korver’s work ethic was relentless. Kispert’s work ethic seems to lean closer towards Korver’s, which is why I like having Korver as the ceiling. Truthfully I believe Kispert will end up somewhere in between the two, but definitely trending towards the ceiling rather than the floor.

While I can see some rebuilding teams being a bit hesitant on spending a lottery pick on Kispert due to his age, a playoff team that needs shooting would be foolish not to trade up and take a shot on him anywhere from picks 10-15. In a league that is always looking for shooters, Kispert is exactly that at the very least. All things considered, Kispert is well worth a lottery pick in this particular draft.