Jonathan Isaac fits Suns, but might not provide immediate impact

The Suns will pick fourth in the June 22 NBA draft. Their selection could alter the franchise or add to a young core already in place.

Azcentral sports has highlighted eight players within the Suns’ range. This is the sixth profile in that series:

Jonathan Isaac

Position: Forward.

School: Florida State.

Year: Freshman.

Size: 6-11/205 pounds.

Age: 19.

Last season: In his only college season, Isaac averaged 12 points and 7.8 rebounds in just 26.2 minutes. He shot 59.3 percent from 2-point range, 34.8 from 3 and 78 from the foul line. He also blocked 6.2 percent of shots when he was on the court. He made the ACC All-Freshman team.

Why he makes sense for the Suns: Isaac checks a lot of boxes on Phoenix’s needs list. At 6-11, he provides perimeter length. He’s a versatile defender, capable of guarding multiple positions. He’s one of few in this draft with position flexibility, which fits into today’s NBA. Isaac could play both forward positions and possibly center depending on how his body matures down the road. Offensively, Isaac has a nice shooting touch that extends at least to the college 3-point arc. He also has a nice feel and approach to the game. “A lot of the top players, especially the top freshmen, they aggressively hunt their shot,” said ESPN college analyst LaPhonso Ellis, who played 11 NBA seasons. “And Jonathan, he just plays. He’s impactful whether he’s the focal point of the offense or not. And most often this season he wasn’t, but he’d still finish with 12 or 13 points, many coming off the offensive glass or in transition. Winning matters to him.”

RELATED: Can Suns find a Draymond Green in second round?

Why he doesn’t: Isaac fits, but the Suns simply might favor Kansas small forward Josh Jackson (for his defense) or Duke’s Jayson Tatum (for his offense) or even a point guard. Both Jackson and Tatum probably are closer to making an immediate impact.

Concerns: Isaac is a late bloomer. Before hitting a growth spurt, he was a point guard his freshman year of high school. He didn’t dunk until his junior year. The good side of this: He’s a 6-11 forward with guard skills. The bad: His body still is maturing. At Florida State, he often got pushed around in the post and struggled to finish in traffic.

Best comparison: Isaac grew up modeling his game after Kevin Durant, but that is a stretch. Defensively, he’s a lot like Oklahoma City’s Andre Roberson, only taller. And of course, he’s a lot more polished offensively.

MORE: Could Suns pass over Josh Jackson in NBA draft because of off-court issue?

Bust factor: Decent. Isaac has a lot of physical gifts, but unlike others projected to go near the top of the draft, he may require more time to become a consistent contributor. Even so, his upside is hard to ignore. ESPN’s Ellis said he expects Isaac to turn into a 15- to 20-point scorer once he matures physically. ESPN college analyst Fran Fraschilla sees similar promise. “He’s got enormous potential, as much as anybody in the draft,” he said.

Quote: “He affects the game in so many ways. He blocks shots. He hits his free throws. He gets the big rebounds. He makes great decisions. Most people play to get points. Jonathan is a stat stuffer, but he also gets deflections. He changes shots. He makes the extra pass. Fills the lane. Cuts hard without the ball. He’s doing things that help you win. He only averaged 12 or 13 points but he was probably (responsible for) 35 or 40 by just being on the court.” – Leonard Hamilton, Florida State coach.

Previously in this series:

-Josh Jackson

-Jayson Tatum

-Lauri Markkanen

–Dennis Smith Jr.

-Malik Monk

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller.