Isaac McKneely Signs with Louisville Basketball
The Louisville transfer portal train kept on rolling as the Cards picked up yet another commitment, this time from former Virginia sharpshooter, Isaac McKneely. McKneely, following a three year run with the Virginia Cavaliers, has high hopes to play a significant role on an expected national title contender in the Louisville Cardinals.
Last season, McKneely was awarded with an ACC Honorable Mention--just missing out on making one of the all-conference teams. However, even though he wasn't considered one of the top 15 players in the ACC, he was still one of the most efficient players in the conference. McKneely averaged 14.4 points (44, 42, 81 shooting splits), 2.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. Although Reyne Smith hit the most threes in the ACC last season, McKneely had the highest three point percentage in the conference, even though he was at the top of each opponents' scouting report.
Louisville hopes to continue McKneely's extremely efficient three point shooting, likely in a similar role as Reyne Smith last season. Since McKneely has much more height and weight to him than Reyne, there's a chance he might have an even larger role on the team outside of being a pure shooting specialist.
Strengths:
The most obvious strength in McKneely's game is his three point shooting. For his career, he has shot 42.2% from three on 552 attempts. Last season, he made 101 of his 240 attempts. For reference Reyne Smith made 107 of his whopping 282 attempts this past year. Therefore, McKneely's an extremely efficient shooter, considering his high volume. Because Pat Kelsey's offense is predicated on taking as many threes as possible, Isaac should thrive on this roster.
The other aspect of McKneely's shooting that will make him perfect for UofL is his ability to catch-and-shoot off of screens. In his film you'll see him take and make leaning threes that seem difficult, but may as well be layups for him. Beyond that, like Ryan Conwell, McKneely also has deep range, as he made 20 threes from beyond 25 feet this season. Having both of those snipers on the court with Mikel Brown will lead to an extremely difficult offense to guard.
Weaknesses:
There aren't that many weaknesses to McKneely's game--he's the kind of player that doesn't play outside of the bounds of his abilities. But, that also means there are some limitations to his game. Louisville will likely use his talents the same way Virginia did--by having him play the role of an off-ball sniper who is constantly moving without the ball and running off of screens. Opponents will respond by forcing him to put the ball on the floor when they can and make him finish at the rim--which is something he struggles to do. It speaks volumes when you look at McKneely's overall field goal percentage and find that it's barely higher than his career three-point percentage.
It's no secret that Isaac isn't great at finishing around the rim. However, his film does show some craftiness around the bucket, so it's not a total lost cause inside the perimeter. What needs to improve is his consistency at the rim. At the end of the day, the ideal situation for Pat Kelsey is to maximize the amount of threes compared to twos that McKneely attempts by any means necessary, and I'm sure he'll make that happen. Isaac, similar to Reyne Smith at times last season, simply has to keep the defense honest with his driving ability, finishing at the rim when there's either a clear lane or by straight line driving.
Final Assessment:
Isaac McKneely will likely be a perfect fit in Pat Kelsey's system. He won't be asked to do anything that is outside the bounds of his abilities, but his strengths will shine through. His shot volume will decrease compared to his past couple of seasons at Virginia, but I imagine his efficiency, meaning his overall numbers may be similar to the rest of his career.
Bold Prediction:
Isaac McKneely will have the highest three point percentage in the country (barring players that attempt a small amount of threes).
Predicted Stats:
PPG: 13.5
RPG: 2
APG: 3.5
Highlights for Isaac McKneely can be found below: