Philadelphia 76ers veteran forward Mike Scott is not an All-Star. He will never average 20+ points or make an All-Defensive Team or anything like that. However, he is very important to Philadelphia in what they want to do on the floor.
When Scott is fully healthy and he is working hard on either end of the floor, he makes a big difference for them. In Monday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, Scott made a number of hustle plays and he had 11 points and he shot 3-for-3 from deep while earning the start in place of the injured Tobias Harris.
“He was great,” said Joel Embiid. “You could tell on the court, he made shots today, but I don’t think that’s where he had the biggest impact. Defensively, he guarded Myles Turner well.”
The important thing that the Sixers want to get through about Scott is to have him make an impact on the floor even when he is not making shots. Philadelphia wants him to do the little things on the floor and help the team succeed despite his shot not falling.
During their time together with the Los Angeles Clippers, coach Doc Rivers was trying to get more out of him other than just his 3-point shot.
“He’s been great,” said Rivers. “You can see the difference. Mike in the Clipper days, if his shot wasn’t falling, he kind of just stopped doing anything and now, tonight rebounding, loose balls, running the floor. People are gonna take away what you do best every once in a while. You have to do something else to help the team and Mike does that every night.”
Scott has been dealing with a lot of adversity in the 2020-21 season as he has been hampered by injuries, but when he is at his best, he is able to really give more on the floor. He is able to play more freely and not have to worry about his injury or anything like that. He just has to be who he is.
“Just embracing the little things,” said Scott. “Just making hustle plays, steals, boxing out, just doing the little things his team needs. When you’re not shooting the ball well, you’re not getting your shots, just bring something else to the table.”
The Sixers will finish up the first half schedule on Wednesday when they play host to the Utah Jazz.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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