2024 WNBA Draft Scouting Report: Isobel Borlase

Providing a summary of the Australian prospect's game

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Talented players from all across the world have been part of the WNBA since its inception, with international players like Eva Nemcova, Janeth Arcain, and Elena Baranova making an impact in the league all the way back in its very first season in 1997. For a variety of reasons, from legitimate concerns about unavailability to the difficulties in projecting players drafted two or more years younger than their NCAA peers to lack of familiarity with the leagues in which these players play, these players often seem undervalued on draft night. However, quality players have been selected directly from international leagues at every stage of the WNBA Draft – the draft lottery (Liz Cambage), the late first round (Ezi Magbegor), the second round (Emma Meesseman), the third round (Stephanie Talbot), and undrafted (Marine Johannès). As such, it remains important for teams and media members to scout them, and it can be fun even for more casual fans.

An international prospect who seems almost guaranteed to be selected at some point on draft night is Australian Isobel Borlase. The 5-foot-11 wing plays for the Adelaide Lightning in the Australian WNBL alongside current WNBA players Brianna Turner and Jocelyn Willoughby. Borlase broke out during the 2022-23 season, averaging 13.5 points per game with a hyper-efficient effective field-goal percentage of 59.6. She was awarded both the Betty Watson Breakout Player of the Year and the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year for her superlative efforts. With Stephanie Talbot still recovering from the ACL injury that held her out of the 2023 WNBA season, Borlase has not only been thrust into the starting lineup but also into one of the team’s main scoring options, leading the team with 15.0 points per game this season.

The first element that jumps out about Borlase’s game is that she is an absolute terror in transition. The Lightning like to play fast, and Borlase is one of the main catalysts of their full-court attack. She loves to drive in the open court with both speed and power, generating many easy lay-ups. On this play, she drives the length of the floor and finishes strong after beating out power forward and former WNBA lottery pick Kelsey Griffin for the rebound.

https://www.youtube.com/live/bpZIJQFaqzg?si=fnFGjLc1VWuUUqo8&t=2604

Not only does she attack in traditional fastbreak situations off of defensive rebounds, she also will attack after made baskets. This is especially the case when the other team breaks out a full-court press (something many WNBL teams do at least occasionally), but not exclusively so.

https://www.youtube.com/live/bpZIJQFaqzg?si=ezwNpC1UrEVJYd1o&t=521

Furthermore, Borlase’s willingness to push the pace includes throwing some extremely impressive home run passes to rim runners. And, while it may seem easy to do this when the target is Brianna Turner…

https://www.youtube.com/live/sHXoW7mynSU?si=QeEg0bWVEy6uoucB&t=1151

…she has also made a consistent target of Isabelle Bourne, an above-average athlete compared to other WNBL post players but still nowhere near Turner’s league.

https://www.youtube.com/live/sHXoW7mynSU?si=UMLKfu7vwTpUCq9l&t=1729

Generating these transition opportunities both for herself and others in volume is valuable because those tend to be the most efficient attempts. Creating easy shots is often one of the most underappreciated elements of good offense, and Borlase is a master at it. What makes those particular passes especially useful is that she was able to grab the defensive rebound and immediately generate offense, leaving the defense no time to recover. 

Borlase may not be quite as effective in the halfcourt, but she still seizes plenty of opportunities to showcase her strength and change of direction. Her Eurosteps may just be her signature move, throwing defenders off balance and getting deep into the paint. This drive was particularly effective, attacking a point guard known for gritty defense and creating an ocean of space for herself.

https://www.youtube.com/live/sHXoW7mynSU?si=s5EbfqPougJmk_iW&t=1671

She also shows facility as a passer in the halfcourt, particularly out of the pick-and-roll. This is a nicely lofted pass in a relatively tight space to Bourne. 

https://www.youtube.com/live/gFUBZ7AdQOM?si=zHF1r1XK3ggEqV-U&t=770

It is also a good sign that she can absorb the bump from 6-foot-5 Emily Potter on this hedge and still attack the defense, spotting the rolling Turner before Potter can recover.

https://www.youtube.com/live/gFUBZ7AdQOM?si=ccLeo7dln0MuUWLY&t=6552

Borlase also demonstrates solid touch in the short mid-range, being able to realign her body in the air and still finish under control. This is how she generates a significant portion of her baskets in the halfcourt and serves as an exceptional example of her ability to get buckets in tough situations.

https://www.youtube.com/live/bpZIJQFaqzg?si=yw4IumpUzCoY8oxu&t=1268

There are clear cases where Borlase stops just short of getting all the way to the rim even when it may seem like she has room for another dribble, opting for floaters or more difficult layups instead. A notable trend is that Borlase has only attempted six free throws in her last seven games after attempting 30 free throws in her first six games this season. She does not seem averse to contact, but it does seem like she does not want to attack defenders’ chest. She also seems to have some issues finishing around trailing defenders who extend their arms outward. 

https://www.youtube.com/live/sHXoW7mynSU?si=CSsLRmP02ZJ0i565&t=574

The other major concern for Borlase offensively is with her 3-point jumper. After shooting 39.0% from 3-point range last year, albeit only on 2.4 attempts per game, Borlase is shooting 4.8 attempts per game this season but only making (edit: 24.2%) of them. The increase in attempts, only partially explained by a much smaller increase in minutes, is encouraging, but the crash in volume is quite the opposite.

A positive sign for Borlase is that she attempts threes in a variety of play types. These include pitches and hand-offs, like this play where she fires after taking two lateral dribbles to get into good position.

https://www.youtube.com/live/sHXoW7mynSU?si=mPf-HzUuBhgcgPxl&t=2083

Importantly for her translation to the WNBA, she also actively seeks opportunities to get open moving off the ball. Even when she does not receive the pass, this occupies defenders, opening up driving opportunities and removing help. An example is this play where she moves from the weakside corner to the wing, opening up a passing lane. While she ultimately misses the shot, it is worth noting that she had to change directions again in order to catch the pass, a mitigating factor for the miss.

https://www.youtube.com/live/bpZIJQFaqzg?si=UcEC--OIxHWQDt7e&t=4941

The other factor to consider is that Borlase is making 72.2% of her free throws this season, a below-average figure for a perimeter player, and she shot 66.7% last season. This is not a positive sign for her overall shooting potential. Overall, while her percentage being so low is concerning, and shooting will probably be a weakness for her at least in the short term, it would be imprudent to write her long-range shooting ability off as a total loss.

The elephant in the room when talking about the Adelaide Lightning in general is the team’s spacing. While Brianna Turner may be the only out-and-out non-shooter in the team’s rotation, point guard Lauren Mansfield is the only player shooting at least 32% from 3-point range entering the new year, and the team as a whole is only shooting 27.9% from deep range. There are clear instances where Borlase has beaten her matchup and attracted additional defensive attention but not meaningfully collapsed the defense because of how opponents guard her teammates (and also because of where Turner needs to stand in order to remain a threat). By contrast, the Lightning shot 33.8% from deep last season, with several consistent rotation players shooting above 35%. For example, this possession, where Borlase is playing point guard with Mansfield off the floor, provides an example of how cramped it can be.

https://www.youtube.com/live/sHXoW7mynSU?si=MKTe6Iz-ETcRYetD&t=2073

Borlase would be more efficient if she were in a better offensive environment even if it would be unlikely that she would match last year’s whopping 60.0% accuracy inside the arc. If Talbot returns before the end of the season, that would take some of the pressure off Borlase, especially because Talbot generally has been a primary ballhandler at the WNBL level. In the meantime, it is valuable to see how Borlase has coped with the suboptimal offensive environment.

Borlase’s greatest strength as a defensive player is getting into opposing guards’ handles and poking the ball away. Even solid WNBA point guards like Aari McDonald, an absolute superstar at the WNBL level, are not immune from her swipes.

https://www.youtube.com/live/gFUBZ7AdQOM?si=eeotIpAy2vgWYRS5&t=4089

In this game, Borlase spent most of the game guarding players closer to her in size but was assigned with checking McDonald down the stretch. Before fouling out in overtime (stopping a transition opportunity that did not involve McDonald), Borlase contained several drives, effectively navigated ball screens, and generally made her life more difficult even as McDonald was still able to generate a couple of blow-bys.

https://www.youtube.com/live/gFUBZ7AdQOM?si=Eet5TuItxRySxOdD&t=5894

However, that stint guarding McDonald as her primary assignment represents a high-water mark rather than a consistent standard. There were instances when players much slower than McDonald were able to put Borlase off balance, either through off-ball movement or by executing secondary actions effectively. On this play, Borlase is clearly trying to keep track of both the ball and her assignment, but experienced combo guard Alex Wilson is able to get a step on her off a cut when she turns her head, creating a nice floater even after a solid rotation from Bourne.

https://www.youtube.com/live/bpZIJQFaqzg?si=wfD7xR7Xlpyv1b5j&t=5289

Wilson gets Borlase again on this play when she switches and lunges on her closeout, exposing a wide-open driving lane.

https://www.youtube.com/live/bpZIJQFaqzg?si=J80Qg0ZtoDJPCfVj&t=5201

Here, she sinks into the paint on a zone but does not move over against the high-low, granting the legendary Lauren Jackson an easy bucket. 

https://www.youtube.com/live/sHXoW7mynSU?si=JadSn-ojSOPjQc4f&t=134

Finally, while this is a pressure situation, her speculative gamble here gives Wilson an open driving lane, ultimately creating a wide-open three for former WNBA draft pick Mehryn Kraker, a 38.0% 3-point shooter on the season, to put the Lightning down four points with fewer than 20 seconds remaining.

https://www.youtube.com/live/bpZIJQFaqzg?si=TB4NSYL9J7qVPyDz&t=6241

These factors combine to suggest that Borlase may be better at defending smaller players with more on-ball responsibility at the WNBA level, even if concerns remain about her footspeed against the quickest foes, because it may simply be easier for Borlase to lock in against the play’s primary action. However, even against point guards, there are plays like this hand-off where a little misdirection throws Borlase completely off as she runs into Jackson as the screener and forces Mansfield to rotate.

https://www.youtube.com/live/sHXoW7mynSU?si=ixrrEejUwI2x5uVP&t=3217

At the end of the day, Isobel Borlase has some clear strengths and some clear weaknesses. It would be entirely reasonable for teams to assess that she needs more seasoning before joining the WNBA, but her quality in transition could enable her to carve out a WNBA role as soon as this season. Keeping in mind that she will not turn 20 years old until next September, a team could justify picking her once it considers the “sure thing” prospects gone, but it is probably most reasonable for Borlase to be selected late in the first round or early in the second come draft night.

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