Scoot Henderson

[MemphisX]

Both Scoot and Lamelo are at their best on ball. To maximize their talents, they must be separated. Doesn't mean they won't take Scoot regardless.

Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan are both at their best with the ball. Dwyane Wade and Lebron are both better on the ball.

Far better players than Lamelo and Scoot have had to learn and accept playing off the ball is part of winning. If they can't accept that, you move them.

For my take, Lamelo shoots the ball and makes connective passes and seems like he has a ton of potential off the ball. Scoot needs to learn to play off the ball to be a champion too.

Lamelo is naturally a scorer also. I think relieving him of some of the creation duties long term would do wonders for his defense.

[clyde21]

lol those hands

[mattao313]

I just can't understand someone watching scoot and coming away comparing him to Derrick Rose. Do people forget how freaky Rose was? It's no comparison between the two.

Scoot Henderson= John Wall

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[WargamesX]

I think its hard to compare scoot to anyone because he's not just physically impressive. He's also very skilled and poised. You usually don't see rookie PG's built like that, so all these comparisons might be off.

If it wasn't for Wemby and him doing two years in the G-Leagye everyone would be geeking on Scoot. I think he would have dominated in college something serious.

[MasterIchiro]

Agree Scoot is difficult to pin down with comps. His draft profile is unique regardless of your eval of his athleticism. He blends speed, explosion, court vision, feel, natural playmaking, raw power... When you attempt to peg him as lesser than player X or Y in a single category like athleticism, you're dismissing the unique blend of all the ingredients baked into the prospect cake. You might plant your flag on the athleticism piece/component and do a little victory dance for clicks, but your celebration looks out of context and frankly amateurish.

Hey, I proved he's not an elite athlete! Case closed! Yeah. Get over yourself. What about the rest of his package?

Scoot is the full package and you don't need to be the most dominant player in modern history in any one category of scouting. Name the player before Scoot who blended all these strengths?

I think conversations would be more productive and constructive if we equally weigh basketball IQ/feel. Ignore his massive arms if you can for a minute.

Some of the greatest players in the game today do not even remotely approach Scoot's athletic gifts nor physical profile. Luka, Jokic are triple double machines.

So why are we comparing Scoot to a dummy chucker like Westbrook instead them? Because Westbrook is strong and speedy for his body mass?

Maybe these stances ignorant of the full context make some obscure mock draft stand out on Twitter and generate attention and that's cute, but the conversation needs to be more informed by grades for BBIQ, however elusive this trait. Some just can't incorporate a category not easily quantified. I don't put any stock into it and enjoy wiping my ass with those mocks.

Scoot is a very smart player who knows how to leverage his skills given his body and athleticism. He knows how to read a defense in motion. He's an excellent decision maker with the ball in his hands, off the ball. He can leverage teammates and exploit any coverage. He's so cerebral and agreed, poised. He's been managing games for a professional team facing first and second round picks, as a 17 year old.

Westbrook wasn't doing that.

Rose wasn't doing that.

Some are missing the ball with Scoot.

[MasterIchiro]

As far as elite traits, and this is yet another category that relies more on the dreaded, stigmatized eye test, but Scoot is an elite ball handler. ELITE. True, Scoot demonstrates a nasty first step but he navigates space and earns advancement by balancing rim pressure with change of pace. He reads the legs of the defender and leverages court vision. His awareness in space complements his huge hands and quickness. The ball stays glued to his hands at any pace/speed.

You just can't cover the guy. He's going to touch the paint at will given NBA space. Every trip down the floor. What he does from there, man, sky's the limit.

[Big J]

As far as elite traits, and this is yet another category that relies more on the dreaded, stigmatized eye test, but Scoot is an elite ball handler. ELITE. True, Scoot demonstrates a nasty first step but he navigates space and earns advancement by balancing rim pressure with change of pace. He reads the legs of the defender and leverages court vision. His awareness in space complements his huge hands and quickness. The ball stays glued to his hands at any pace/speed.

You just can't cover the guy. He's going to touch the paint at will given NBA space. Every trip down the floor. What he does from there, man, sky's the limit.

If he can get to the rim whenever he wants why was he settling for long 2s so much last year?

[Lockdown504090]

Agree Scoot is difficult to pin down with comps. His draft profile is unique regardless of your eval of his athleticism. He blends speed, explosion, court vision, feel, natural playmaking, raw power... When you attempt to peg him as lesser than player X or Y in a single category like athleticism, you're dismissing the unique blend of all the ingredients baked into the prospect cake. You might plant your flag on the athleticism piece/component and do a little victory dance for clicks, but your celebration looks out of context and frankly amateurish.

Hey, I proved he's not an elite athlete! Case closed! Yeah. Get over yourself. What about the rest of his package?

Scoot is the full package and you don't need to be the most dominant player in modern history in any one category of scouting. Name the player before Scoot who blended all these strengths?

I think conversations would be more productive and constructive if we equally weigh basketball IQ/feel. Ignore his massive arms if you can for a minute.

Some of the greatest players in the game today do not even remotely approach Scoot's athletic gifts nor physical profile. Luka, Jokic are triple double machines.

So why are we comparing Scoot to a dummy chucker like Westbrook instead them? Because Westbrook is strong and speedy for his body mass?

Maybe these stances ignorant of the full context make some obscure mock draft stand out on Twitter and generate attention and that's cute, but the conversation needs to be more informed by grades for BBIQ, however elusive this trait. Some just can't incorporate a category not easily quantified. I don't put any stock into it and enjoy wiping my ass with those mocks.

Scoot is a very smart player who knows how to leverage his skills given his body and athleticism. He knows how to read a defense in motion. He's an excellent decision maker with the ball in his hands, off the ball. He can leverage teammates and exploit any coverage. He's so cerebral and agreed, poised. He's been managing games for a professional team facing first and second round picks, as a 17 year old.

Westbrook wasn't doing that.

Rose wasn't doing that.

Some are missing the ball with Scoot.

Some scouts complain he reads the play too much and doesn’t just attack every weak spot in a defense by himself. I said this about ja and it’s even more true about scoot. He’s every smaller black American point guard wrapped into one guy. He isn’t something we haven’t seen before, but he’s like a greatest hits of the last 15 years of smaller guards

[MasterIchiro]

As far as elite traits, and this is yet another category that relies more on the dreaded, stigmatized eye test, but Scoot is an elite ball handler. ELITE. True, Scoot demonstrates a nasty first step but he navigates space and earns advancement by balancing rim pressure with change of pace. He reads the legs of the defender and leverages court vision. His awareness in space complements his huge hands and quickness. The ball stays glued to his hands at any pace/speed.

You just can't cover the guy. He's going to touch the paint at will given NBA space. Every trip down the floor. What he does from there, man, sky's the limit.

If he can get to the rim whenever he wants why was he settling for long 2s so much last year?

Because of his quick first step, his body/strength can generate the requisite momentum that makes him an imminent threat to get to the rim. Why would Scoot want to get to the rim if he reads the situation the defense is covering it? Put him on repeat and he becomes predictable.

He's the opposite. He balances change of pace with rim pressure to keep defenders guessing. He's as unpredictable as Luka and Jokic as a result.

Gunning for the rim is Westbrook. Scoot is super smart and has feel. He doesn't line up like a freight train and expect to bulldoze his way to the rim. You expect that given his massive arms.

[Big J]

As far as elite traits, and this is yet another category that relies more on the dreaded, stigmatized eye test, but Scoot is an elite ball handler. ELITE. True, Scoot demonstrates a nasty first step but he navigates space and earns advancement by balancing rim pressure with change of pace. He reads the legs of the defender and leverages court vision. His awareness in space complements his huge hands and quickness. The ball stays glued to his hands at any pace/speed.

You just can't cover the guy. He's going to touch the paint at will given NBA space. Every trip down the floor. What he does from there, man, sky's the limit.

If he can get to the rim whenever he wants why was he settling for long 2s so much last year?

Because of his quick first step, his body/strength can generate the requisite momentum that makes him an imminent threat to get to the rim. Why would Scoot want to get to the rim if he reads the situation the defense is covering it? Put him on repeat and he becomes predictable.

He's the opposite. He balances change of pace with rim pressure to keep defenders guessing. He's as unpredictable as Luka and Jokic as a result.

Gunning for the rim is Westbrook. Scoot is super smart and has feel. He doesn't line up like a freight train and expect to bulldoze his way to the rim. You expect that given his massive arms.

Yea, I’d rather my quick strong guard barrel to the rim and draw fouls than settle for inefficient long 2s, but you do you.

[MasterIchiro]

If he can get to the rim whenever he wants why was he settling for long 2s so much last year?

Because of his quick first step, his body/strength can generate the requisite momentum that makes him an imminent threat to get to the rim. Why would Scoot want to get to the rim if he reads the situation the defense is covering it? Put him on repeat and he becomes predictable.

He's the opposite. He balances change of pace with rim pressure to keep defenders guessing. He's as unpredictable as Luka and Jokic as a result.

Gunning for the rim is Westbrook. Scoot is super smart and has feel. He doesn't line up like a freight train and expect to bulldoze his way to the rim. You expect that given his massive arms.

Yea, I’d rather my quick strong guard barrel to the rim and draw fouls than settle for inefficient long 2s, but you do you.

Id rather my smart floor general read the defense correctly and pivot between rim attacks and creating offense for teammates.

[Big J]

Because of his quick first step, his body/strength can generate the requisite momentum that makes him an imminent threat to get to the rim. Why would Scoot want to get to the rim if he reads the situation the defense is covering it? Put him on repeat and he becomes predictable.

He's the opposite. He balances change of pace with rim pressure to keep defenders guessing. He's as unpredictable as Luka and Jokic as a result.

Gunning for the rim is Westbrook. Scoot is super smart and has feel. He doesn't line up like a freight train and expect to bulldoze his way to the rim. You expect that given his massive arms.

Yea, I’d rather my quick strong guard barrel to the rim and draw fouls than settle for inefficient long 2s, but you do you.

Id rather my smart floor general read the defense correctly and pivot between rim attacks and creating offense for teammates.

but… he shot a bunch of long 2s last year.

[MasterIchiro]

Yea, I’d rather my quick strong guard barrel to the rim and draw fouls than settle for inefficient long 2s, but you do you.

Id rather my smart floor general read the defense correctly and pivot between rim attacks and creating offense for teammates.

but… he shot a bunch of long 2s last year.

But shot 59% at the rim too. That's what you want, right?

[crows2]

I keep seeing people say that Scoot is not that great of an athlete. Where is that coming from? He has an almost ideal combination of speed and power. He isn't skinny and ridiculously quick like Morant, he's more like Anthony Edwards. I guess there aren't that many power guards in the league right now so people have forgotten what they look like.

I take issue when people compare his speed to players like Rose and Wall. As you say, he's more akin to Edwards as an athlete (although slightly lower due to the height difference).

Edwards? Not even close. Edwards has insane speed and he dunks on guys every other game. Scoot rarely ever dunks.

Sorry, I meant he’s a similar KIND of athlete to Edwards, not these extremely quick PGs that he’s been compared to. He’s a power athlete rather than a speedy one. As I said, I don’t believe he’s as good an athlete as Edwards, particularly due to the size difference.

[Big J]

Id rather my smart floor general read the defense correctly and pivot between rim attacks and creating offense for teammates.

but… he shot a bunch of long 2s last year.

But shot 59% at the rim too. That's what you want, right?

Yea, but that doesn’t really matter if he’s chucking a bunch of midrange shots that tank his efficiency.

[crows2]

I keep seeing people say that Scoot is not that great of an athlete. Where is that coming from? He has an almost ideal combination of speed and power. He isn't skinny and ridiculously quick like Morant, he's more like Anthony Edwards. I guess there aren't that many power guards in the league right now so people have forgotten what they look like.

I take issue when people compare his speed to players like Rose and Wall. As you say, he's more akin to Edwards as an athlete (although slightly lower due to the height difference).

So 98 percentile instead of 99 percentile?

No, I’d probably have him somewhere between 90-96%, which is still extremely high. And he makes up for any deficit he has to most of those guys with some of his other traits (strength, hand size etc).

[MasterIchiro]

but… he shot a bunch of long 2s last year.

But shot 59% at the rim too. That's what you want, right?

Yea, but that doesn’t really matter if he’s chucking a bunch of midrange shots that tank his efficiency.

Even there he improved year-over-year so those makes and misses collectively demonstrate positive development and inform a positive trajectory in this area of his development.

[Colbinii]

But shot 59% at the rim too. That's what you want, right?

Yea, but that doesn’t really matter if he’s chucking a bunch of midrange shots that tank his efficiency.

Even there he improved year-over-year so those makes and misses collectively demonstrate positive development and inform a positive trajectory in this area of his development.

Correct.

Both statements are true:

Scoot settled for more mid-range shots than you would hope for in the NBA

Scoot showed improvement year-to-year

I swear, some people get their favorite prospect and then just **** on anyone who is compared to them by focusing only on their weaknesses [while ignoring growth, tools and traits] while then ignoring their favorite prospects own weaknesses or shortcomings and explaining them away by referencing growth, tools and traits.

It's best to ignore those people on here and elsewhere because--like Big J--even if they have a breadth of knowledge, they still have blinders and are incredibly annoying to have a discussion with.

[Big J]

Yea, but that doesn’t really matter if he’s chucking a bunch of midrange shots that tank his efficiency.

Even there he improved year-over-year so those makes and misses collectively demonstrate positive development and inform a positive trajectory in this area of his development.

Correct.

Both statements are true:

Scoot settled for more mid-range shots than you would hope for in the NBA

Scoot showed improvement year-to-year

I swear, some people get their favorite prospect and then just **** on anyone who is compared to them by focusing only on their weaknesses [while ignoring growth, tools and traits] while then ignoring their favorite prospects own weaknesses or shortcomings and explaining them away by referencing growth, tools and traits.

It's best to ignore those people on here and elsewhere because--like Big J--even if they have a breadth of knowledge, they still have blinders and are incredibly annoying to have a discussion with.

Should we just ignore guys weaknesses and brush them off by saying they are still growing in that area? In this world maybe Scoot is still literally growing and he will end up taller than 6'1.

[EvanZ]

Not sure why he is so polarizing. Seems like people either love him or hate him without acknowledging the truth on both sides of the argument.