A Royal Prospect: Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Isaiah Roby

Coming off a solid, albeit inefficient Junior season, Nebraska’s Isaiah Roby could be an intriguing option if he falls to the Sacramento Kings, who have the 40th overall pick.

Ten. That’s how many players that played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in college have played in the NBA. The last one to be drafted? You’d have to go all the way to 1998, when the Denver Nuggets selected Tyronn Lue with the 23rd pick. Regardless of where he is selected on draft night — and he will be selected — Isaiah Roby will be the first former Cornhusker to be Draft in the last 20 years, and the Sacramento Kings should try and grab him.

Why? Defense and versatility on offense.

During the NBA Draft Combine two weeks ago, Roby measured well, standing at 6’-8.5” in shoes, boasting a 7’-1” wingspan and an 8’-10” standing reach, while his 32.5” standing vertical and 10.63 second lane agility test placed him seventh among all forwards at the combine. While his weight (214lbs) leaves some cause for concern, it didn’t slow him down during his two scrimmages at the Combine as he averaged 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, one steal and two blocks per game, though he shot just 45.5% from the field.

That inefficiency is a big reason Roby is only a borderline first round prospect, and not a sure-fire top-20 pick. He shot just 33% from the college three-point line and doesn’t appear to have NBA-level range yet. He also shot just 59% at the rim and, perhaps most importantly, he’s often too passive on offense.

None of those issues are deal breakers, however, as Roby — with the right coaching — could become more efficient as a scorer. He’s already showed flashes of a more aggressive play-style during the combine games, and if he can consistently play in attack-mode, that might mitigate some of the efficiency concerns.

Even still, Roby is a plus-passer for a defensive-minded player and has a solid handle, which makes him a lot to contain in transition. That alone should make him an attractive option for the Sacramento Kings, a team who scored the most points in transition per game last season and had the second-most transition possessions per game in the NBA. He also showed improvement as a spot-up shooter his junior year, and at just 21-years-old that bodes we’ll for his development as a shooter in the NBA.

Defense though, is Roby’s bread and butter. In college he was capable of guarding every position in the floor and projects to be capable of guarding 1-3 in the NBA. He possesses excellent lateral agility and is a great athlete, which allowed him to average 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocks per game in college. He’s also a solid rebounder, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game despite not being a player who’s not always in the paint.

If Isaiah Roby is able to develop a respectable three-point shot, he could be a solid 3-and-D player in the NBA who’s also capable of playing small-ball five for limited stretches. He needs to work on his offensive ability, but for a Sacramento Kings team that fielded an awful defense last season, Roby’s ability on that end could have him on the court a lot his rookie year if he ends up in Sacramen