By now, everyone knows that the Washington Wizards plan to re-sign Otto Porter Jr. and make new signings of shooting guard Jodie Meeks and power forward Mike Scott. On Sunday night, Washington made the Scott addition official and on Monday the media had the chance to speak to the former Atlanta Hawk.
“Mike’s toughness and ability to stretch the floor make him a good addition to our frontcourt reserves,” team president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. “His skillset fits in well with our offensive system and his tenacity fits in well with our overall team dynamic.”
Scott played four-and-a-half seasons with the Hawks after being drafted by the team with the 43rd pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. During that 281-game stint, Scott averaged 7.1 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 33.6 percent from three-point range as a key contributor off the Hawks’ bench. He averaged a career-high 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 80 games for the Hawks during the 2013-14 season and shot a career-high 39.2 percent from three-point range over 75 games during the 2015-16 season. The 6-8, 237-pound forward has also appeared in 32 career playoff games, averaging 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds.
A native of Chesapeake, VA, Scott was named to the All-ACC First Team as a senior at the University of Virginia after averaging 18.0 points and 8.3 rebounds. He finished third in Cavaliers history in rebounds and double-doubles and 16th overall in points.
Last season, Scott dealt with left knee soreness, as a result of overcompensation from ankle surgery injury, and multiple trips to the NBA D-League. As a result, Scott averaged just 2.5 points and 2.1 rebound in 18 games with Atlanta before eventually getting waived before he ever began to feel healthy.
“I wasn’t healthy for the most part,” Scott attributed his down year. “Just trying to fight through injuries with my knee, my ankle, everything was bothering me plus going back and forth between Atlanta and the D-League. It was just frustrating. Basically, I sucked. I wasn’t healthy. Right now, I am 100 percent.”
Scott is working on his foot speed and ball handling in an attempt to increase is versatility in an increasingly small ball oriented NBA. He has been training since May 2nd and will continue to work out until training camp in late September.
“Definitely shooting, being an athletic, running the floor, making plays for me teammates, being a vet that knows playoff situations,” Scott rattled off areas in which he can help Washington. “I’m not trying to come in here and do too much. This team already has a great group of guys. They have a great starting five. I just want to come in, play hard, make shots, dunk on people, have fun. Just prove to everyone that I am healthy and everything else is good.”
The soon to be 29-year old remembers that “toughness and competitiveness” of John Wall and company from the 2015 playoff series where the Wizards point guard suffered non-displaced fractures in his wrist. He plans to prove that he fits right in with such a mentality if his new teammates do not already know so.
Scott has spoked to Otto Porter Jr. and Jodie Meeks as the trio have been together completing their physicals, which hints that those signings should become official soon, and will be traveling to Las Vegas to meet the rest of the team at Summer League.
Signing for the veteran minimum is never fun when you join a non-championship contending team, but even though Scott had offers from “four or five” different teams, he appreciated the fair and loyal communications he had with Washington during the free agency moratorium period.
“Grateful for the opportunity,” Scott said. “Fresh new start. Great organization, great players, great coaches, so, I’m happy.”