Atlanta Hawks report card: Mike Scott
The Atlanta Hawks were ousted in the first round by the top-seeded Indiana Pacers. After a fascinating seven-round battle with the top seed, there have been arguments back and forth on whether it was a successful 2013-2014 campaign for the Atlanta Hawks; some say they had overachieved, some say they underachieved. Over the next couple weeks, we will break down the Hawks season and we will dish out grades for each of the Hawks players. Who played well, who was a disappointment, who will be back next year? We will dish out everything you want to hear about the Hawks past season, and what is to come ahead.
First, some quick requirements. We will only feature players that played in at least 10 games with the Hawks this season, so sorry Jeremy Tyler, James Nunnally, and Antawn Jamison; you were all part of the exciting journey in some capacity, but that is all the pub you will get in our season recaps.
Being evaluated today is scoring forward Mike Scott.
Mike Scott was an intriguing player coming into the season for the Hawks, but with a whole army of new front court players on the roster, it was unclear where Scott would stand. Coming in, one thing was certain, and that was that Scott could score points in bunches. The biggest question mark is if that production could continue if Scott received more playing time.
Shining Moment: For some players, I have to scroll through box scores trying to find that players best night of the year, but for Scott, a couple of things jump out off the top of my head. Often times this season, Scott couldn’t miss; those nights everyone was using the “happy-faced-emoji” and those were some of the best moments of the season. Who could forget Scott’s 30-point, 8-rebound performance in under 30 minutes on just 14 shots against the Knicks, when he set career highs in both scoring and three-pointers. In April against the Cavs, Scott was on fire again, scoring 26 points in just 20 minutes in an incredible 12-13 shooting performance that helped lead to a 19-point win.
Lastly, there was his invincible showing in Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers. Scott had 12 straight points for the Hawks in the second quarter, making four straight three pointers. In that second quarter, Scott scored 17 points on 6-6 shooting including 5-5 from three-point land. The performance was huge for the Hawks and helped lead them to a 3-2 series advantage. For a while, it appeared that Scott’s hot shooting propelled the Hawks to a huge series upset over the top-seeded Pacers, but unfortunately, Atlanta would go on to lose game 6 and 7 and be eliminated from the playoffs.
Letter Grade: B Scott was quite effective for the 2013-2014 Atlanta Hawks. As a rookie in 2012-2013, Scott was on the shuttle back and forth between the D-League and the NBA, but made the most of his opportunities. Scott scored almost five points a game in just under 10 minutes per contest, but only appeared in 40 games. This season, Mike Scott played in more games than any Hawks player, doubling his appearances from the prior season with 80 games played. In fact, Scott doubled his totals almost across the board
2014-2015 season outlook: Scott is a restricted free agent, and you would really believe that the Hawks would like to have him back. There quite a few players in the NBA that can come off the bench and score in bunches, but the fact that Scott can do it from the power forward position makes him very unique. Most big guys coming off the bench offer rebounding or defense, or in many cases, they offer nothing. Scott can do a lot on the court and was a huge asset to the Hawks this season. The free agent market in the NBA can be bare and it looks like it could go along those lines again this summer, making Scott a potential priority for Atlanta’s front office. However, knowing the league, he could be on the top of other teams as well. Scott could be looking for a bigger role elsewhere, but the biggest obstacle could be the increasing price tag to re-sign him. Stay tuned.