Despite being full up for training camp, the Utah Jazz continue to make moves, reportedly coming to terms on a deal with Mike Scott (not that one).
After the Utah Jazz dealt for Mike Conley, a whole new world of possibilities opened up for the team in terms of building a roster that could compete for an NBA title. In the wake of the trade, I pinpointed veteran Mike Scott as a player with Jazz DNA who could contribute to that cause.
On Tuesday, the Jazz reportedly agreed to a contract with Mike Scott — just not that Mike Scott. You can all breathe a sigh of relief, Sixers fans.
For the record, it’s not this Mike Scott either —
Per Nicola Lupo of Sportando and The Athletic’s Tony Jones, the Jazz will sign former Idaho Vandals point-man Mike Scott, who has played in Lithuania, Croatia and, most recently, Poland since going undrafted in 2015.
The Utah Jazz have signed Mike Scott. A six foot point guard out of Idaho, Scott is expected to be with the Jazz in camp, and then will play with the SLC Stars
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) September 18, 2019
As of yet, no official announcement has been made by the team and the timing of this signing would be curious.
After officially coming to terms with Trevon Bluiett and Juwan Morgan last month, Utah’s training camp roster looked to be full up at 20. That said, Bluiett, Morgan and others signed by the Jazz this offseason were essentially brought in to play for the team’s G-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.
So, it’s possible that the Jazz shuffle multiple players through their roster gradually and funnel them down to the Stars without going over the roster limit.
In any case, Scott definitely has the look of a player the Jazz can get into their system and develop. Last season, he averaged 12 points, 4.5 assists and just over 1.5 steals per game for the Polish club BM Slam Stal Ostrow.
Scott made 36 percent of his 5.4 3-point attempts last season. And, across all competitions in Europe, he’s flirted with or shot better than 40 percent from distance every year since the 2015-16 campaign.
He helped the club win the 2019 Polish Cup and won a Baltic Basketball League title in 2016 with BC Siauliai.
Although he’s a developing shooter and displayed strong playmaking skills as a pass-first point in Big Sky competition as a senior at Idaho, he doesn’t have an NBA body at six-foot-nothin’ and 180 pounds.
Still, the 26-year-old could be a nice get for the Stars.