Jim Larranaga breaks down Isaiah Wong's stock as he departs for NBA
Miami’s run to the Final Four this March was made possible thanks to multiple factors, but one of the biggest was the play of star guard Isaiah Wong. During the Hurricanes’ success, Wong played a major role, leading to him entering his name into the 2023 NBA Draft. Following that decision, Miami head coach Jim Larranaga shared his thoughts on Wong’s chances of success in the NBA.
“I think when the NBA scouts that I have talked to look at him, they really see a guy who is a high-octane scorer, who really scored at the college level very well,” Larranaga said. “I know in some of his workouts in previous years, they’ve encouraged him to expand his range, which he’s done. So he’s now, I think, a very good three-point shooter. But I think the thing he’ll need to do is be able to play both the point and the two, and be able to guard both one and twos. And I think he’s gonna be able to do that. In all cases, it’s opportunity to play. And in Isaiah’s case, if he gets an opportunity to showcase his talents and what he can do, I think he’ll take advantage of that. But it’s got to be with the right team. You know, it’s hard enough to make the NBA but to really fit in and earn a spot in the rotation is really difficult. So, we wish him nothing but the best. He deserves all the success that he’ll enjoy in the future.”
A four-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting class by the On3 Industry Ranking. Wong was the No. 74 overall player in the class and has been making his impact known during his entire career at Miami.
As a sophomore, Wong averaged a career-high 17.1 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game. Wong averaged double figures in three of his seasons at Miami and just finished a stellar fourth season with the Hurricanes.
A key piece to Miami’s Final Four run, Wong was the leading scorer for Miami this year averaging 16.2 points per game on 44.5% shooting. Wong also grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game and dished out 3.2 assists per game this year.
In five Miami NCAA Tournament games, Wong scored double digits four times, including two games of 20 or more points. Wong had his tournament-high 27 points against Indiana in the second round. Now as he takes that next step to the league, Wong looks to continue his success.
“I feel like, for me, I offer like a lot of — I’m a 22-year-old kid coming into the NBA.” Wong recently said. “So, I feel like I got a lot of experience with how college prepared me and just coming off of that. And just, I feel like for me, I’m a playmaker and I can get people involved and I can score, a three-level scorer. And I feel like I played hard with the best of them. So I feel like, just coming in, just play my role and just having the better understanding of the game and just trying to help a team and win as much as possible.”