2013-2014 Atlanta Hawks Player Profiles: Mike Scott

Apr 10, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mike Scott (32) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Hawks defeated the Sixers 124-101. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Aloha! The Hawks season is right around the corner, and we’re here with the 3rd installment of our player profiles. If you missed the first two (Jared Cunningham and Shelvin Mack), go back and tune in, but for now, let’s get it going with one of my personal favorites, Mike Scott.

The Player

Mike Scott is 25 years old. That is a bit of a jarring notion because was a rookie in 2012-2013, but when you’re a five year player in college, that’s what happens. I railed for the Hawks to select Scott on my old website before the 2012 Draft, and I was (rarely) granted the pleasure of that selection, which thrilled me in 2nd round, because…

I think Mike Scott can play.

He was an extremely efficient player in college (arguably the most efficient player in the country as a senior), and that hasn’t changed in limited pro action. Last season, Scott averaged 19.5 points and 11.7 rebounds per 40 minutes, and he did so with a solid 53.3% true shooting that led to a 16.34 PER. He’s a very dangerous player in the pick-and-pop game with 15-foot range, and despite being 6-foot-8, he rebounds very well in any context.

Before we get too carried away with his above league-average production from last year (which is real), there are certainly limitations for Scott. He’s not a terribly good athlete (to put it mildly), and that costs him severely on the defensive end. It’s tough to be undersized and underwhelming athletically, and Scott will have to learn to be a picture-perfect team defender to be adequate on that end.

Role on the Roster

This got trickier in the off-season. I had visions of Scott becoming a valuable member of the rotation in an 8th/9th man role, but that was before the Hawks signed every available frontcourt player (a slight exaggeration, but still). Gustavo Ayon, Elton Brand and (maybe) Pero Antic will cut into the available minutes for Scott, but he does present a slightly different skillset than both players, and could be used with the much quicker Paul Millsap in a small forward/power forward combination.

It’s too early to tell if Scott can crack the rotation, or even if he’ll be on the roster (as we’ve noted recently, the end of the bench could be in flux), but I’d be shocked if he didn’t see any meaningful time this year.

Prediction

In a vacuum, I’d love to see Scott get regular playing time. However, if I’m honest in making a pure prediction, I don’t think he’ll make the regular rotation out of training camp. At some point during the season (via injury, competence, etc.), I fully believe that Scott will play in a string of games and perform effectively, but the roster turnover didn’t do him any favors.

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Stay tuned for the next installment, where we take a look at Pero Antic.