The Vitruvian Man

The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo DaVinci, depicts an image that shows us that the ideal wingspan should equal ones height. This image was supposed to depict mans ideal form. The Trailblazers of the Renaissance were obsessed with perfection, and mans body being geometrically symmetrical.

You're probably thinking: What the hell does this have to do with basketball?

If wingspan equalling height is the "perfect" bodily composition it makes people like Orlando magic rookie, Jonathan Isaac look like gods amongst men. Isaac has a wingspan two inches longer than his height. At 6'11 with a 7'1 wingspan Jonathan Isaac has the height and length of most NBA centers while having the lateral quickness of a guard. Isaac has a very high ceiling and the floor of at least an All NBA defender

Ceiling: Better Andrei Kirilenko

The Kevin Durant comparisons for any tall, skinny player need to stop. Durant coming out of college was a totally different monster than Isaac is and has a much different play style. Jonathan Isaac is not a player who is going to assert himself and be a go to scorer on a contending team, thats just not who he is. Kirilenko was an All-Star, led the league in blocks from the small forward position, was a three time All-NBA defender and had a great NBA career. Isaac, much like Kirilenko is a tall, long combo forward with a knack for defensive play making, and playing within himself and the offense. Kirilenko affected the game in so many ways that a stat sheet would not do him justice. He blocked shots with the best of rim protecters while playing away from the basket, he was able to switch on to quicker players, a skill that some may argue is more valuable in todays NBA due to pick and roll heavy offenses like that of the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. The thing that may make Isaac a better overall player than Kirilenko is that he already has what Kirilenko needed to become one of the elite forwards in the NBA, a three point shot, and Jonathan has the ability to put the ball on the floor against hard closeouts and create his own shot. Isaac also has shown a knack for being in the right place at the right time for rebounds which makes him a better overall player than Kirilenko was. Overall Isaac much like Kirilenko is a do it all player who is not going to look for his own shot but play within the offense and make his presence felt on the defensive end, and be very hard to contain on the offensive end due to his extreme versatility.

Floor: Tayshaun Prince

Tayshaun Prince and Isaac have the same build and roughly the same measurements. Prince is also one of the better defensive players of this generation. Many will never forget when NBA legend, Reggie Miller, went for a seemingly open layup to tie up a pivotal Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Then you could almost hear the Jaws theme music come on as Tayshaun Prince sprung out of nowhere to block the shot, clinching the game for the Detroit Pistons. Plays like this defined Prince's career as a four time All NBA defender, often times guarding the opposing teams best player (1-4) his length bothered even the best of scorers from the aforementioned Reggie Miller to a top fifteen player of All-Time in Kobe Bryant. At the bare minimum Jonathan Isaacs length, agility and natural timing on blocking shots and making the right defensive play should propel him to becoming a serviceable defender, even if he's limited to outside shots and not living up to his scoring potential, Isaac will be one of the premier defenders in the NBA, and have the ability to transform a defense and spread the floor.

The Verdict:

Isaac will fall in the same group as Draymond green, Tayshaun Prince and Andrei Kirilenko their impact on a team very hard to quantify, they altered shots, played great help defense, demoralized opponents with a combination of athleticism and length, give their team immense defensive flexibility, and cause mismatches on offense for opposing forwards. Isaac will wreck havoc on the NBA in his prime and be looked at as a marquee player in free agency that will transform and be coveted by any team that is graced by his presence. Da Vinci's brilliance may be called into question when evaluating freaks of nature like Isaac, or make them seem like physical specimens that could only be defined as divine. The sky is the limit for Jonathan Isaac and it's up to him to capitalize on his immense potential.