How do NBA scouts evaluate draft prospects?
I came across an interesting article written recently by Chad Ford and posted to the new Grantland website started by Bill Simmons: http://www.grantland.com/story/_… The summary is that while the methods by which scouts evaluate players have changed dramatically over the last 15 years, the results are still basically the same. Specifically, he posits that 10 years ago there was virtually unlimited access to prospects, and scouts were actually quite willing to compare notes and collaborate with each other in order to have the right information to make picks. Nowadays agents have so much control, they often hold players out of pre-draft camps and even limit the number of workouts a player will go through for various scouts. So while teams have resorted to much more elaborate and ‘scientific’ methods of evaluating players (quantitative statistical formulas, much more thorough video analysis, team psychologists and even private detectives to look into backgrounds), the results have actua
I think it is incredibly subjective. While some stats transfer from league to league (usually NCAA to NBA but also Euroleague to NBA, etc.), most of the time scouts are looking for pure athleticism, certain skills and fluidity. For example, one statistic that transfers is rebounding. A player like Kenneth Faried will get drafted even though he is an undersized PF with not much of an offensive game because his rebounding skills will translate to the NBA. Otherwise, scouts are looking for players who have IT. They have great lateral quickness and jumping abilities (the natural abilities most coveted in the NBA). They have good form and fluidity in their handle and jump shot. Please note here, they do not have to be a great shooter at the time of being drafted, they just have to show the ability to develop the skill. Derrick Rose is a great example. His jumper was average at best coming into The League, but it was clear he would develop a shot from the way he “wound up” and released his j
