Scouting sheets are one of the best things about pro basketball. Scouts know the game, they place a lot of faith in their own knowledge, and they love putting their thoughts in blunt, easily digestible form. (One of my favorite scouting sheet notes of all time, courtesy of Jack McCallum’s Seven Seconds or Less, summed up Eddie House’s game thusly: “Won’t shoot, unless he has the ball in his hands.) ESPN Los Angeles’ Brian and Andrew Kamenetzky have obtained a copy of a typical scouting sheet from Dave Miller, and it’s full of lots of fun, useful tidbits about the Suns’ personnel. Here are a few of my favorites:
Jason Richardson:
-MUST LOCATE IN TRANSITION...(watch for leak outs)
-Stay down on his shot fakes...Stay between him and the basket...No direct line drives
-Pressure him as a ball handler...NOT a playmaker
-Help side defense look to take CHARGES
Jared Dudley:
-Makes things happen on sheer hustle & DETERMINATION
-Could become an excellent 6th man in this league
-Offensive rebounds
-Plays like a junkyard dog
-TWEENER
-He’s like a SWISS ARMY KNIFE > does a little bit of everything!
Channing Frye:
-Locate him in transition and give NO open shots!
-MAKE HIM A DRIVER
-Close out with high hands taking away shot first
-MUST be physical with him!
There’s tons more great stuff like that on the full scouting sheet. No less than eight Suns players have a “locate in transition” note attached to them, and BLOCK OUT appears in all caps on four players’ notes. (Grant Hill has a less vehement “Block Out” on his report.) It’s all fun stuff, and offers up a look into how coaches prepare for the Suns’ unorthodox style of play.