A lot of questions surrounding the game of the former Gonzaga Bulldogs 6-foot-7 and 220 pound junior small forward Corey Kispert involve his physical tools and overall translation of explosiveness to the NBA. Kispert is a product of King’s High School and a native of Edmonds, WA.
Coming out of King’s High School in Washington state, Kispert ranked as the nation’s No. 106 2017 high school prospect, No. 24 small forward, and No. 5 prospect out of Washington (247Sports Composite). He was a three or four-star prospect, depending on the recruiting service that you looked at during the 2017 cycle.
Kispert is such an interesting draft prospect because he offers a lot of valuable skills that are highly coveted in the modern NBA. He’s a good three-point shooter, efficient secondary ball handler, and a steady defender. Kispert started to improve as a defender during his sophomore season (posted a career-best defensive box plus/minus rating of 2.9), but came back down to earth last season.
Last season, Kispert played in 33 games (starting in every single one of them). He averaged 13.9 points per game, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks. Kispert shot 47.4 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.0 percent from the free-throw line. He needs to show that the explosiveness off the first step, lateral agility, and strength will be there come next season.