Jayson Tatum and Jonathan Isaac are big wings with different skills in the 2017 NBA draft

Jayson Tatum and Jonathan Isaac showed scouts why each is considered a possible top five pick in the 2017 NBA draft when Duke and Florida State squared off on Tuesday. Tatum’s Duke team took round II with a 75-70 win that wasn’t as close as the margin suggested. It’s payback for Florida State winning the first game back on Jan. 10.

Both players have big roles on strong ACC teams, so watching them go at each other can tell scouts a lot about their NBA futures. Looking at their box scores; neither player had a great game, but Tatum definitely filled up the box score a bit more. It is worth noting though that while Tatum played 39 minutes, Isaac got in early foul trouble and was limited to 25.

Tatum looks better from a pure box score perspective, but watching the game it was apparent that each player has their advantages and disadvantages over the other.

It seems that every big wing who enters the draft has at least some shooting questions. A look at Tatum or Isaac’s shooting numbers shows that there are real signs of optimism, but also some cause for concern. Both are shooting stellar percentages from the free throw line -- Tatum at 87.5 percent and Isaac at 80.2 percent. However, neither is shooting all that well form the three-point line, Tatum at 35.3 percent and Isaac at 37.7 percent, and both shoot threes in relatively low volume.

The conjunction of high free throw percentage with lower three-point shooting volume and success indicates both have good shooting touch, but are not yet totally comfortable stretching their range. Success at the free throw line usually portends future three-point success, but since neither have shown ideal volume or ability from the three-point line they are far from sure things to shoot well in the NBA.

Each player only made one three in their most recent matchup, but both guys make revealed the way their shooting can help an NBA team. Tatum’s body fluidity and coordination is showcased in the way he smoothly sidesteps the closing out defender to nail his three.

Meanwhile, Isaac utilized his size and length to simply shoot over the Duke defender. At 6’10 and with a measured 7’1 wingspan Isaac should be able to shoot over most NBA wings he matches up against.

Just how good (or bad) their three-point shooting is will be huge for their NBA futures. Both players have fairly smooth strokes and decent results, but the difference in being a 33 percent, 36 percent, or 40 percent shooter cannot be overstated. Predicting precisely where they will end up is nearly an impossible task, so factoring in some uncertainty into their NBA prospects is necessary.

A big part of what makes Isaac and Tatum such appealing prospects is their theoretical fit as three-and-D wings. Both have shown signs of competency from beyond the arc, and there is a lot to like in their defensive profiles. Isaac is easy to fall in love with on the defensive end with his combination of length and agility.

Isaac can use his length and vertical athleticism to provide some rim protection from the 3 or 4.

Yet he also has the quickness and reactionary skills to shadow a wing like Tatum and force him into a difficult shot.

Isaac matches up with nearly any 3 or 4, and has the versatility to switch onto any position on the floor. His defensive numbers of 1.9 steals and 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes paint the picture of an elite defensive prospect. The one true weakness in his defense is, well, his weakness. Standing 6’10 and weighing 210 pounds on a good day, Isaac simply does not have the strength to wall off players if they get the slightest of steps on him.

The good news is Isaac makes up for his frame in other ways and should be expected to add at least some strength with time, but it may make his adjustment to the NBA a longer one. Tatum’s ability to hold off Isaac on that play displays not only Isaac’s skinniness but also Tatum’s broad shoulders and solid frame. Tatum has solid strength and mobility in addition to quick hands, which allow him to pick up a variety of unexpected blocks and steals.

Despite his good instincts as a playmaker, Tatum too frequently spaces out on plays and doesn’t have the athleticism or length to always recover. Isaac might be able to make a play on the ball here but Tatum is only 6’8 with a 6’11 wingspan, and doesn’t offer quite as much around the rim.

Both are athletic enough and have shown some instincts to where they can at least be okay defenders in the NBA, but Isaac’s advantages in awareness and length could take him to another level.

The most obvious gap in Tatum and Isaac’s game is their ability to create their own shot and create shots for others. Looking at just this matchups box score, Tatum’s attempted field goals and assists suggest he is the more confident creator of the two. In addition to the example in which he beat Isaac to the hoop, Tatum had a variety of iso-scores in Tuesday night’s game. Here, he puts his natural shake to use before contorting his body to finish at the basket.

Tatum isn’t just able to drive the ball, but can also be a killer in the mid-range with his footwork and shooting touch.

Watching plays like these, it is easy to salivate over the thought of Tatum becoming a high-level creator in the NBA. Particularly when you contrast him with Isaac, Tatum is league’s ahead at creating his own shot off the bounce. On the one play in the game in which Isaac attacked off the bounce he managed to draw a dubious foul call, but you can see how much less natural he looks as a creator than Tatum.

Part of Isaac’s low creation volume is due to his role at Florida State, but most of it is due to a lack of ball handling and off-the-dribble shooting capability. The difference between them as creators is also apparent in the type of assists they generate. Isaac has solid vision that allows him to make good reads within the flow of the offense like this.

Still, he lacks Tatum’s ability to put pressure on the defense, which in conjunction with Tatum’s own vision allows Tatum to create opportunities like this for his teammates.

Tatum’s assist rate of 13 percent is nearly double Isaac’s 6.8 percent due to a discrepancy in vision, but also ability to create openings for assists. All that being said, Tatum is not necessarily the better offensive prospect. Isaac is able to impact the game in other ways. He is a very effective cutter, and shoots 61 percent on his two-point field goal attempts.

He also is an extraordinarily adept rebounder for a wing player, pulling down 11.6 rebounds per 40 minutes. Isaac’s effectiveness as a rebounder allows him to play interior positions more easily, and also gives him additional ways to contribute on offense.

Tatum doesn’t impact the game in these ancillary ways, and he does take things off the table that Isaac does not. Tatum is an accomplished scorer and creator, but he is not an elite one. He doesn’t have the athleticism to get to the lane and finish at will, and he lacks outlier skill and feel for the game. Matched up against a similarly good athlete like Isaac he struggles to find space to score, and often ends up turning the ball over.

Tatum averages 3.3 turnovers per 40 in comparison to Isaac’s 2.3, and shoots only 48.3 percent from within the arc. Essentially, Tatum creates a lot more than Isaac, but he doesn’t do it with all that great efficiency and he needs up turning the ball over a bunch.

Which type of player is more helpful is very much up for debate. Some would prefer the guy who can go out and get buckets and create for his teammates, others would like a guy who gives you a little more on defense and fits in more seamlessly as a role player on the offensive end. Whatever your answer to that question is says a lot about what you want from a basketball player in this day and age.