Isaiah Roby
Isaiah Roby (born February 3, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League, on assignment from the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
![]() Roby with Nebraska in 2019 | |
| No. 22 – Oklahoma City Blue | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 3, 1998 Dixon, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Dixon (Dixon, Illinois) |
| College | Nebraska (2016–2019) |
| NBA draft | 2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 45th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2020 | Texas Legends |
| 2020–present | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2020–present | →Oklahoma City Blue |
| Stats | |
| Stats | |
High school career
Roby attended Dixon High School in Dixon, Illinois.[1] He joined a team that finished its previous season with a 1–28 record, but in his final three years at Dixon, he led the team to a combined 76–13 record.[2] In his junior season, Roby averaged 12.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 3.7 blocks per game, earning second-team all-state Class 3A honors.[3] As a senior, he averaged 19.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.9 blocks per game. Roby finished eighth in Illinois Mr. Basketball voting and was named second-team all-state by the Chicago Sun-Times.[4][5] He left Dixon with the most career rebounds and blocks in school history and the second-most career points.[1] Roby was rated a three-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports, and a four-star recruit by Rivals. On October 22, 2014, he committed to Nebraska.[6][7][8]
College career
Roby entered his freshman season for Nebraska in 2016–17 with a pelvic stress reaction suffered in the offseason, delaying his college debut.[5] He remarked, "It's probably the longest I sat out from basketball since I started playing basketball."[9] In 30 games, Roby made four starts and averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while recording 25 blocks, the fifth-most by a Nebraska freshman.[1] He increased his weight from 185 pounds (84 kg) to 220 pounds (100 kg) in his first year in college.[10] As a sophomore, Roby averaged 8.7 points and team-highs of 6.3 rebounds and two blocks per game. He also led his team in field goal percentage, shooting 57 percent, and compiled 63 blocks, the most by a Nebraska player since 2001.[1][11] In his junior season, Roby started in all 35 games, averaging 11.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.[12] He led Nebraska to an unexpected run in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.[13]
On March 30, 2019, Roby declared for the 2019 NBA draft without hiring an agent.[14]
Professional career
He was drafted 45th by the Detroit Pistons and traded to the Dallas Mavericks.[15][16] On August 7, 2019, Roby officially signed with the Mavericks.[17] The Mavericks assigned him to the Texas Legends for the start of the NBA G League season.[18] He suffered from plantar fasciitis which caused him to miss several games for the Legends.[19] On January 24, Roby was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder by the Mavericks in exchange for Justin Patton and cash considerations. He did not appear in a game during his time with the Mavericks.[20] He made his NBA debut with a brief appearance for the Thunder in January 2020. He was then assigned shortly thereafter to the Oklahoma City Blue, returning to the main Thunder roster for only a single day before being sent back to the Blue.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Oklahoma City | 3 | 0 | 3.7 | .000 | – | – | .7 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2020–21 | Oklahoma City | 61 | 34 | 23.4 | .483 | .294 | .744 | 5.6 | 1.8 | .9 | .6 | 8.7 |
| Career | 64 | 34 | 22.4 | .481 | .294 | .744 | 5.4 | 1.7 | .8 | .6 | 8.7 | |
References
- "Isaiah Roby". Nebraska Athletics. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- Barfknecht, Lee (November 3, 2016). "Newcomers, including Isaiah Roby and Jeriah Horne, don't blink at the thought of changing the Huskers' fortunes". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- Rosenthal, Brian (November 12, 2015). "Men's basketball: Top 100 recruit Roby signs with Huskers". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- Washut, Robin (October 4, 2016). "Huskers eagerly awaiting freshman Roby's debut". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- Barfknecht, Lee (September 16, 2016). "Nebraska without injured Anton Gill, Isaiah Roby to open basketball practice". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- "Isaiah Roby". ESPN. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- "Isaiah Roby, Dixon, Small Forward". 247Sports. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- "Isaiah Roby, 2016 Small forward". Rivals. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- Basnett, Chris (October 26, 2016). "Husker freshman Roby hoping he's past the 'rough' part". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- Barfknecht, Lee (July 19, 2017). "Husker sophomore Isaiah Roby gets to work in weight room, seeks a breakout year on the court". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- Hardesty, Matt (November 5, 2018). "Isaiah Roby growing into his role at Nebraska". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- "Isaiah Roby Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- Heady, Chris (May 29, 2019). "Nebraska's Isaiah Roby opts to stay in NBA draft. 'I think I left PBA the right way'". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- Heady, Chris (March 30, 2019). "Nebraska forward Isaiah Roby enters NBA draft, keeping options open". Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- "NBA draft: Mavericks expected to swing deal and end up with Nebraska's Isaiah Roby". June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- "Mavericks acquire draft rights to Isaiah Roby and future second round picks". Mavs.com. June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- "Mavericks sign forward Isaiah Roby". mavs.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- Judkins, Kyle (October 28, 2019). "Mavericks Assign Isaiah Roby to Texas Legends". National Basketball Association. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- "Mavericks' Isaiah Roby: Dealing with plantar fasciitis". CBS Sports. January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- "Mavericks deal Roby to OKC, reportedly eyeing Warriors' Cauley-Stein". CBS Sports. January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
