NBA
IJ
#11

Isaiah Joe

Guard · Detroit Pistons · 6'4", 165 lb · Born Jul 2, 1999 · Fort Smith, Arkansas · Drafted 49th overall, 2020
2025 ChampionElite shooter (.42 3P)Mr. Basketball AR (2018)Now: Detroit Pistons
NBADetroit PistonsGuards
Compare:vs Thompsonvs Cunninghamvs Jenkinsvs Robinsonvs Durenvs Green
In short

Isaiah Joe is an elite movement shooter and 2025 NBA champion who spent four seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. A record-setting shooter at Arkansas, he was a second-round pick (49th, 2020) by Philadelphia, was waived in 2022, and rebuilt his career in Oklahoma City as one of the league's best long-range threats. He shot 42% from three in 2025-26 and was traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Matchup model · next gameMedium confidenceFri, Nov 13
@Dallas MavericksAggressive hedge & help
Proj. points
11.2
range 8.5–13.9
Line 11
53%
to go over
Team win
40%
111–113
Poi 11.2 Lean overReb 2.5 Lean overAss 1.3 Lean underPRA 15 Lean over
Likely on himCooper Flagg· 76 Perimeter DSolid defender
10+ pts66%15+ pts10%

Model lines Joe at 11.2 pts (range 8.5–13.9) vs a 11 line — a lean to clear it (53%).

Model favors Dallas Mavericks (60%), projected 111–113, ~224 total at 97.4 pace.

Full matchup breakdown · all markets →
Balladex Matchup Model — modeled from real roster ratings, scoring baselines & defender-matchup history. Schedule, availability & head-to-head samples are illustrative in this prototype; production wires live schedule, injury & player-tracking feeds. Not betting advice.
✦ Ask anything about Joe
Latest news
transactionJun 26, 2026
Thunder trade Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons
NBA.com ↗
The Joe Story — narrated
Tap play to hear his story, told as a 90-second short.
🔊 Prototype uses your browser's built-in voice. Production would use a studio-grade AI narrator.

Waived by the team that drafted him — then he became one of the deadliest shooters alive, and a champion.

A Fort Smith, Arkansas kid and Mr. Basketball, Joe set shooting records at Arkansas — 113 threes as a freshman — before Philadelphia took him 49th in 2020.

🏹 Arkansas · SEC record49th, 2020

Philadelphia waived him in October 2022. Oklahoma City signed him days later — and unlocked one of the league's best movement shooters.

Waived → signed by OKC🎯 Strokin' Joe

He earned a four-year, ~$48M deal in 2024 and won the 2025 title as a bench sniper, shooting 41% from three across the playoff run.

🏆 2025 champion41% 3P · playoffs

After shooting 42% from three in 2025-26, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons — a sharpshooter on the move.

➡️ Reported trade to DET11.1 ppg · .423 3P
— end of story —
Want the full numbers? Open the breakdown →
PPG
11.1
2025-26
RPG
2.5
per game
APG
1.3
per game
FG%
.455
.423 from three
LIFE

Roots & the rise

'Strokin' Joe' — the waived second-rounder who rebuilt his career into one of the NBA's deadliest shooters, and a champion.

Derrick Isaiah Joe grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas and became a record-setting shooter at the University of Arkansas, draining 113 threes as a freshman and leading the SEC in makes per game. Philadelphia took him 49th overall in 2020, but waived him in October 2022 — and Oklahoma City signed him days later, a low-risk move that became one of its best.

In OKC he blossomed into one of the league's premier movement shooters, earning a four-year, roughly $48 million deal in 2024 and shooting 41% from three across a title run. He won the 2025 championship as a bench sniper and shot 42% from three in 2025-26 before being traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Sources: Wikipedia, NBA.com, Basketball-Reference, ESPN.

MOVEMENT

Career journey

2020–2022Philadelphia 76erssecond-round pick; waived Oct 2022
2022–2026Oklahoma City Thunderrebuilt into elite shooter; 2025 champion
2026–presentDetroit Pistonsreported trade
BEYOND THE GAME

Beyond the game

Joe's identity is tied to his hometown of Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he was Mr. Basketball and now gives back — hosting a 'Shooters Shoot' youth training camp in 2024. A member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, he carries the understated, faith-and-family profile common among Arkansas basketball products, and his brother Jacob plays college ball for the Newman Jets.

His nickname, 'Strokin' Joe,' says everything about his craft: a pure, quick-release shooter whose confidence never wavers. Being waived by Philadelphia in 2022 could have ended his career; instead it became the turning point, the moment a specialist found the perfect home in a Thunder offense that hunts open threes.

PERSONALITY

The person

A confident, quick-trigger movement shooter — a specialist who turned a waiver into a championship role.

Elite marksmanCareer ~40% from three; shot 42% in 2025-26 on real volume.
Quick release'Strokin' Joe' — a lightning trigger off movement and the catch.
ResilientWaived by Philadelphia in 2022, then rebuilt into a champion.
PLAYER DNA

Archetype & ratings

Archetype
Movement Shooter · Floor-Spacer
Temperament
Spark
Leadership
56/100
Scoring60
Playmaking38
Rebounding35
Perimeter D52
Rim protection18
Spacing92
Athleticism62
Clutch64
Elite shooterQuick triggerGravity spacer
ANALYSIS

What the numbers say

Spacing as a weapon

Joe's 42% three-point shooting on real volume in 2025-26 is a defense-warping skill. He moves without the ball, relocates, and fires on a hair-trigger — the exact gravity a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drive-and-kick offense is designed to exploit. Specialists like Joe don't fill a box score, but they bend defenses and open the paint for stars.

A movement note

Oklahoma City traded Joe to the Detroit Pistons after the 2025-26 season, reportedly for two second-round picks — a cap-management move by a champion. His shooting (career ~40% from three) should give a young Detroit team instant, plug-and-play spacing; his 2025-26 production remains part of the title-era Thunder's record.

STATS

Season by season

Per game

SeasonGPMINPTSREBASTFG%3P%
2025-267121.211.12.51.3.455.423

Source: Basketball-Reference.

ADVANCED

Advanced & historical

Where he sits in history

2025NBA champion; shot 41.1% from three over 21 playoff games
CollegeMade 113 threes as an Arkansas freshman; led the SEC in threes per game
2018Mr. Basketball of Arkansas and Gatorade state Player of the Year

Hardware

1×
NBA Champion (2025)
1×
Mr. Basketball, Arkansas (2018)
OUTLOOK

Where it's headed

AI-generated · updated July 12, 2026

One of the league's best shooters entering a new chapter — Detroit-bound after a title in Oklahoma City.

On a four-year, ~$48 million deal signed in 2024, Joe is a movement-shooting specialist whose 42% clip from three travels to any roster. Oklahoma City traded him to the Detroit Pistons in 2026, where a rebuilding team gains instant spacing and a proven champion's shot-making.

Three-point shootingElite
Off-ball movementExcellent
Shot creationLimited
Role (new team)Instant spacing

Contract

Deal
4 yr / ~$48M signed 2024
Status
Traded to Detroit
Age
27 prime
Bottom line

A waived second-rounder who became a champion and one of the NBA's premier shooters. Headed to Detroit, his elite spacing is a plug-and-play gift for a young team.

FAQ

Quick answers

Why is Isaiah Joe called 'Strokin' Joe'?

It's a nod to his pure, quick-release jump shot — he's one of the NBA's best movement three-point shooters.

How did Isaiah Joe end up on the Thunder?

Philadelphia drafted him 49th in 2020 but waived him in October 2022; Oklahoma City signed him days later, and he became an elite shooter and 2025 champion.

Was Isaiah Joe traded?

Oklahoma City traded him to the Detroit Pistons after the 2025-26 season, reportedly for two second-round picks.