Mike Scott never hesitated.
The Hawks were in the midst of a comeback from a 19-point deficit against the Toronto Raptors late in the fourth quarter of the season opener last week. Scott took a swing pass from Jeff Teague and buried a 3-pointer with 1:26 left. The big shot pulled the Hawks to within 103-99, but the effort fell short in a loss.
Not only was Scott on the floor that late in a close game, but had the green light to shoot.
“You build confidence through repetition,” Scott said. “I’ve been working on my jump shot a lot and improving my outside range. When you work on it so much, you have confidence to shoot it, no matter the situation, no matter the time.”
It was one example of how far the reserve power forward has come in his short career. The fact that he was on the floor late with the game on the line speaks volumes for the confidence coach Mike Budenholzer has in Scott.
A second-round pick out of Virginia, Scott enters his third season on the verge of a breakout. If such next-step success comes, it started last season. He averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 18.5 minutes. He stepped directly into the national spotlight during last season’s playoffs with a 17-point performance during Game 5 of the first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. He scored all his points in the second quarter, including all five 3-pointers he took, as the Hawks built a 25-point lead en route to the win.
The secret is out.
Scott has picked up where he left off. He has averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 rebounds through the Hawks’ first two games. That included a 20-point game off the bench against the Raptors. He has scored his 25 points in 35 minutes.
Entering Tuesday, Scott ranked second in the NBA in field-goal percentage. He is shooting .750 (9-of-12) from the field. Only the Mavericks’ Brandan Wright, who is shooting .889 (16-of-18) through his four games, is better. Scott’s shooting percentage includes 5-of-7 from 3-point range. But don’t label Scott as just an outside shooter. He has shown an ability to get to the rim and finish against bigger, stronger opposing power forwards.
“The one thing that makes Mike a consistent scorer is that he can score a lot of different ways,” Budenholzer said. “When guys become totally dependent on their jump shot, it can be harder. You can have a bad night shooting. You can be prone to some inconsistencies as a scorer. But when he is mixing in some layups and some free throws, he is running, he has a knack for scoring. Obviously he is a good shooter, but it’s not just shooting.”
Scott is undersized at power forward, but he has turned it into an advantage. His offseason goal was to become quicker and faster, especially laterally. He said he lost 10 pounds and carries about 233 pounds on his 6-foot-8 frame.
“Being an undersized power forward and trying to finish among the trees and not being able to dunk on every one, you have to use your touch and your quickness around the rim,” Scott said of his ability to finish.
The Hawks rewarded Scott with a three-year, $10 million contract this summer as a restricted free agent. He has quickly picked up Budenholzer’s system, and his versatility earned him the new deal and playing time despite his size. Scott said it was an easy system to grasp for a power forward and one that fits his game.
Scott was pressed into duty at small forward at times last season because of injury. The Hawks brought in help at that position during the offseason. Budenholzer sees Scott exclusively as a power forward — one who can catch opponents off-guard with the multiple dimensions of his game.
“His confidence has just grown while I’ve been here,” Budenholzer said. “He’s gotten more and more confident, more and more comfortable, where he can find spots on the floor and where the spacing is.
“The great thing about him is that he is random. It’s hard to track where he is all the time. He is also passing the ball well. He is attacking off the dribble. He is doing a lot of things in addition to just shooting on the offensive end of the court. Defensively, his activity has picked up there, too.”
