NBA Draft 2021: Washington Wizards draft Corey Kispert with 15th overall pick

Corey Kispert is the second Gonzaga player off the 2021 NBA Draft board, going 15th overall to the Washington Wizards.

He is known for his shooting ability, as well as his calm and composed personality.

Kispert was a four-year player who showed growth every year under head coach Mark Few. During his time in Spokane, the Zags won at least 30 games every season.

As a freshman, he played in 35 games, seven as a starter, and averaged 6.7 points per game while shooting at 46.0% from the field. His senior season saw him average 18.6 points per game while shooting at 52.9% in the 32 games he played, all as a starter. He also shot at 44.0% from beyond the arc.

“He’s as good a shooter as I’ve ever coached,” Few said in December. “Nobody’s worked as hard as Corey has at mastering his craft, and yet, he’s incredibly unselfish.”

Kispert picked up a lot of accolades through the 2020-21 season. The AP named him to its All-American team and the USBWA named him a First Team All-American.

He won the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year award, an award he was a finalist for the previous season. Gonzaga dominated the West Coast Conference, and Kispert took the WCC Player of the Year honor.

The 6’7 forward was invited to the NBA Draft combine that took place in June. Although he opted out of the scrimmages, he still left a good impression with a 30” standing vertical and a solid 37.5” max vertical. Kispert had the second-best shuttle run overall at 2.99 seconds.