The Scoot Henderson Thread

[JMAC3]

I'm not sure why we are talking about Scoot in the Miller thread and Brandon in the Henderson thread, but why can't LaMelo just run PG and Scoot 2 guard? Scoot has a Wade-like first step, can score at the rim at will, will get to the line...his shot isn't Westbrook worthy.

The only reservations about picking Scoot is if he and LaMelo can work defensively

He gets to the rim at will but shot 44% in the gleague. That doesn't add up my guy.

If I'm using the NBA G League stats page correctly, Scoot shot 60% within 5 feet and 54% from 5 to 8 feet last season.

For reference, last season Terry shot 56% within 5 feet and 37% from 5 to 8 feet.

Get Scoot more training and experience and playing next to playmakers like Melo and he would definitely be a step up from Terry.

Nobody is arguing for passing on Scoot because we think Terry is better. Right? maybe I am missing something.

Also, that is great he shot a high%, but that just shows he struggled to create those opportunities, hence he settled for midrange jump shots instead. Overall, his shooting % wasn't good.

[SWedd523]

I think everyone, even those down on Scoot, believe he has "better than Terry" potential.

I think he has the physical tools and mental makeup to be a great player. He also has a great name, which is half the battle.

All of my concerns with him are purely about fit. I don't see a world where he can play off ball because he's too short and not a willing nor good shooter.

That means you push Melo off the ball. Can he be successful off ball? Yes. Does taking the ball out of his hands reduce some of the magic he creates in an ad lib scenario? Absolutely.

It also makes me nervous about how he takes that entire situation. He's already made his feelings known and we're all nervous about if he wants to stay here or not. Does bringing in another PG and reducing his usage piss him off and push him out? Not sure.

If it proves successful then I'm sure everything would be copacetic. But there is definitely some extra curricular stuff to consider with Scoot

[yosemiteben]

Also, that is great he shot a high%, but that just shows he struggled to create those opportunities, hence he settled for midrange jump shots instead. Overall, his shooting % wasn't good.

The stats on FGA% by location are out there, don't have to guess.

[W_HAMILTON]

I don't know how much Jordan has a direct say in who we draft anymore, but I remember he was reportedly super high on Westbrook back during that draft. It sounds like Scoot is often compared to Westbrook, so I can see Jordan falling in love with him as well, especially if he is the fiery competitor that everyone says he is.

I would say that my top choice is Scoot right now, although I am very much a casual fan nowadays and never paid much attention to college players and the like until a couple of weeks before draft even back when I was more of a hardcore fan, heh.

[bravor]

The question marks are with his shooting from deep, not about the alpha mentality nor the playmaking and even the defense mindset.

At this point he is a guarantee towards Ball's mood and commitment (and durability...) so i don't see any reason not to draft him (unless he has some 'hidden' stuff health wise). It's not like there is a true difference maker from the 'books' behind him.

Lots of gamble in this draft anyway in the lottery. I will take the closest to a sure thing

Anyway there are also 4 picks to figure out, it's not like this draft for the Hornets should only be viewed as a one man draft.
At this point i would say if there is no good trade to land one of the promising wings (starting by Barnes, but it's hard not to think at Eason depending on what Houston will do), the main goal is to land at least one potential great defensive 3D wing in the draft. I would probably add a project (like Walsh)

Roster has to be cleared (starting by chosing the one to keep between Thor and Jones, i know i would keep the 1st, and not necessary for a long time)

As much as i like Clifford, i really hope M. Williams will be coaching next year. Hornets need a proven development coach and among the jobless ones i think he is the best candidate.

[luciano-davidwesley]

I have watched some more Scoot tape and I'm pretty impressed. I don't think we can go wrong with Scoot or Miller so we are in a really good place.

One thing I did notice though is that he is very right hand dominant and pretty much avoids driving to his left.

He'd definitely be a great lead guard and playmaker while Lamelo is on the bench, in foul trouble or injured.

His 3P% also increased from 21% in year 1 with the Ignite to about 27.5% in year 2. Hopefully he can continue to improve that in a linear fashion.

[wilson115]

Ball already shoots from Curry range, so presumably Ball like every other fan in the world knows how Curry put himself in the GOAT debate playing off the ball.

Watch on YouTube

Also, LaMelo used to catch passes from this kid named Lonzo back when they played for Chino Hills. (Lonzo: 11.5 APG, LaMelo: 3.8 HS career) Not worried about the fit offensively next to Scoot, quite the opposite.

[GoBobs]

I think everyone, even those down on Scoot, believe he has "better than Terry" potential.

I think he has the physical tools and mental makeup to be a great player. He also has a great name, which is half the battle.

All of my concerns with him are purely about fit. I don't see a world where he can play off ball because he's too short and not a willing nor good shooter.

That means you push Melo off the ball. Can he be successful off ball? Yes. Does taking the ball out of his hands reduce some of the magic he creates in an ad lib scenario? Absolutely.

It also makes me nervous about how he takes that entire situation. He's already made his feelings known and we're all nervous about if he wants to stay here or not. Does bringing in another PG and reducing his usage piss him off and push him out? Not sure.

If it proves successful then I'm sure everything would be copacetic. But there is definitely some extra curricular stuff to consider with Scoot

A lot of good points in here. I would want to know how LaMelo feels about things.

[countryboi]

fit is a secondary issue, no one on this team not even Melo is good enough to pass on a great player because of fit.

[KingCat]

I keep on hearing this dude is a generational talent good enough to go 1 in most drafts.

A lot can change in a month, but this is feeling almost like a "passing on Luka for Bagley" moment for our franchise

[GoBobs]

I probably like Scoot the best out of the guys who we are going to consider at the #2. He has elite handle and at least above average passing, and BBIQ. He also has tools to become an elite finisher at the rim. I wish he would have measured but his size doesn't look like a huge issue on film.

Here is what scares me though. These are Scoot's g-league stats.

16.5 pts 6.5 ast 5.4 reb 3.5 turnovers 27% from 3, 54% true shooting, in 30 min per game over 19 game sample size

and here are Booknights stats in the g-league last year

17.6 pts 2.5 asts 5.2 reb 2.3 turnovers 43% from 3, 64% true shooting, in 25 min per game over 24 game sample size

Booknight is 4 years older but still concerning that a player we are close to labeling as a bust and shipping off was in a lot of ways better last year.

My nba comparison for Scoot would be a stronger more physical De'Aaron Fox. Here are Fox's numbers from his freshman year at Kentucky.

16.7 pts 4.6 ast 4 reb 2.4 turnovers 25% from 3, 54% true shooting, in 30 min per game over 36 game sample size.

[Diop]

Every time I read Scoot, I hear Mr Garrison

Watch on YouTube

[Soul Rebel]

I think everyone, even those down on Scoot, believe he has "better than Terry" potential.

I think he has the physical tools and mental makeup to be a great player. He also has a great name, which is half the battle.

All of my concerns with him are purely about fit. I don't see a world where he can play off ball because he's too short and not a willing nor good shooter.

That means you push Melo off the ball. Can he be successful off ball? Yes. Does taking the ball out of his hands reduce some of the magic he creates in an ad lib scenario? Absolutely.

It also makes me nervous about how he takes that entire situation. He's already made his feelings known and we're all nervous about if he wants to stay here or not. Does bringing in another PG and reducing his usage piss him off and push him out? Not sure.

If it proves successful then I'm sure everything would be copacetic. But there is definitely some extra curricular stuff to consider with Scoot

A lot of good points in here. I would want to know how LaMelo feels about things.

Agreed - I believe the wise move would be to get Ball's input on the two options. Not that LaMelo is choosing our players for us, but when you have a rising superstar/franchise player that you want to keep around long-term, it's a prudent move to gauge his interest in playing beside either player.

I think Scoot is the better player, higher potential, Westbrook (minus the headcase) level of impact and balances LB's gaps (driving through traffic, rim play, mid-range game and defense).

I do think Miller, if drafted as a SG that can flex to multiple wing positions, can also be an equally impactful player beside 'Melo. Giving us a Paul George-Brandon Ingram kind of lengthy player. The thought of a 6'7" PG and a 6'9" SG, both under the age of 22 running our backcourt is also pretty enticing.

Much the way Scoot would provide us PG insurance if 'Melo does decide to leave town, Miller would be SF insurance if Miles can't get his head screwed on correctly.

This does remind me quite a bit of the Bryce-Stroud conversation. Both guys will be franchise altering players, 1A & 1B from a value standpoint at 2.....but which one is the better fit and "better" all around player for this franchise?

We need to keep 'Melo

[LofJ]

Read on Twitter

[yosemiteben]

I have to confess that Scoot's 3PT% bothers me less after worrying about Melo's 3PT% pre-draft and then seeing what he brought to the table since then. I guess there's no reason to assume Scoot will fit the same mold, but definitely shows what is possible.

[JMAC3]

I have to confess that Scoot's 3PT% bothers me less after worrying about Melo's 3PT% pre-draft and then seeing what he brought to the table since then. I guess there's no reason to assume Scoot will fit the same mold, but definitely shows what is possible.

LaMelo was always seen as an elite outside shooter though. He was playing Varsity in 8th grade on undefeated teams scoring 30+ shooting threes. The fear of him being a bad shooter was from playing in Australia where he it was more shot selection than anything. He was never scared to shoot threes.

Scoot has two years of data of poor shooting and also a tentative number of attempts.
He increased his attempts from 2.4 to 2.7 this year in a much larger role.
It is really hard to even trust he is as good as his percentages were this year because of the small sample size.
If you combine the sample to be this and last year it is really really bad.

[yosemiteben]

I have to confess that Scoot's 3PT% bothers me less after worrying about Melo's 3PT% pre-draft and then seeing what he brought to the table since then. I guess there's no reason to assume Scoot will fit the same mold, but definitely shows what is possible.

LaMelo was always seen as an elite outside shooter though. He was playing Varsity in 8th grade on undefeated teams scoring 30+ shooting threes. The fear of him being a bad shooter was from playing in Australia where he it was more shot selection than anything. He was never scared to shoot threes.

Scoot has two years of data of poor shooting and also a tentative number of attempts.
He increased his attempts from 2.4 to 2.7 this year in a much larger role.
It is really hard to even trust he is as good as his percentages were this year because of the small sample size.
If you combine the sample to be this and last year it is really really bad.

What was Scoot's HS stats? Does anyone know?

[JMAC3]

I have to confess that Scoot's 3PT% bothers me less after worrying about Melo's 3PT% pre-draft and then seeing what he brought to the table since then. I guess there's no reason to assume Scoot will fit the same mold, but definitely shows what is possible.

LaMelo was always seen as an elite outside shooter though. He was playing Varsity in 8th grade on undefeated teams scoring 30+ shooting threes. The fear of him being a bad shooter was from playing in Australia where he it was more shot selection than anything. He was never scared to shoot threes.

Scoot has two years of data of poor shooting and also a tentative number of attempts.
He increased his attempts from 2.4 to 2.7 this year in a much larger role.
It is really hard to even trust he is as good as his percentages were this year because of the small sample size.
If you combine the sample to be this and last year it is really really bad.

What was Scoot's HS stats? Does anyone know?

I assume they were good, but doubt he was some three point wizard with how little he uses it today.

[BeesWax]

LaMelo was always seen as an elite outside shooter though. He was playing Varsity in 8th grade on undefeated teams scoring 30+ shooting threes. The fear of him being a bad shooter was from playing in Australia where he it was more shot selection than anything. He was never scared to shoot threes.

Scoot has two years of data of poor shooting and also a tentative number of attempts.
He increased his attempts from 2.4 to 2.7 this year in a much larger role.
It is really hard to even trust he is as good as his percentages were this year because of the small sample size.
If you combine the sample to be this and last year it is really really bad.

What was Scoot's HS stats? Does anyone know?

I assume they were good, but doubt he was some three point wizard with how little he uses it today.

Remind me when Melo was considered and elite outside shooter?

Literally every predraft thing on him says he has NBA range but it just isn't falling at the rate you want it to. He was getting comparisons to Jason Kidd as big points who can't shoot. I just went back through 5 different ones and they all questioned the consistency of his shot. I mean I know Scoot has not looked good but Melo was not being touted either. I think Melo was better than Scoot is now at shooting but he had a long way to go coming in and did it. I think his drive helped him and I would hope Scoot is the same way.

[JMAC3]

What was Scoot's HS stats? Does anyone know?

I assume they were good, but doubt he was some three point wizard with how little he uses it today.

Remind me when Melo was considered and elite outside shooter?

Literally every predraft thing on him says he has NBA range but it just isn't falling at the rate you want it to. He was getting comparisons to Jason Kidd as big points who can't shoot. I just went back through 5 different ones and they all questioned the consistency of his shot. I mean I know Scoot has not looked good but Melo was not being touted either. I think Melo was better than Scoot is now at shooting but he had a long way to go coming in and did it. I think his drive helped him and I would hope Scoot is the same way.

Melo shot 35% as a rookie on 5 attempts. Scoot would need to double his attempts and that was with Melo playing under 30mpg.