Last month, it may have come as a surprise to some that Ohio State guard Shannon Scott was not selected in the NBA Draft.
Fast forward to a hot summery day in the desert of Las Vegas, and Scott is now fighting to prove his worth and earn an NBA gig after all. While many big league scouts were able to scout him in school, he now has an opportunity to match up, not only against other NBA hopefuls, but also some current NBA players at Summer League.
It should go towards Scott's potential credibility as an NBA prospect that the Spurs opted to take a chance on him this month. As fate would have it, luckily for him, Scott appears to have passed his first test.
Though the Spurs' fell to the Knicks in their first Vegas contest on Saturday afternoon by a score of 78-73, Scott was still able to impress. Aside from Kyle Anderson, who is, of course, already on San Antonio's roster, the guard may have been the next best staring attraction of sorts.
A very strong player, especially for one who stands at just 6'3", Scott's six rebounds were tied for the team lead. Scott is a skilled distributor, but the 22 year old's strength on Saturday appeared to be his assertive nature around the basket. He cut through the lane well and finished at the basket on multiple occasions even better. He added 10 points and 3 assists.
As he continues to build rapport and form a relationship with the Spurs' organization, perhaps it'd be smart for him to consider staying in the fold for a bit longer. Of course, whether or not he ultimately makes the NBA roster isn't up to him. That said, experiencing training camp in San Antonio and then subsequently catching on with the D-League affiliated Austin Spurs wouldn't be a bad career move. He could certainly end up signing with another NBA team before then, but should he not, this should prove to be a viable option.
The Spurs are obviously a notable contender for the NBA championship each and every season. Still, team brass is keen on the development of youngsters. This is evident in the way they've worked with the likes of Anderson and the recently signed Jonathan Simmons, both of whom are Scott's teammates at Summer League.
Should the young gun need any more convincing, he should know exactly who to turn to for advice. After all, the NBA stock of Aaron Craft (Scott's former collegiate teammate) is steadily rising across the league following a stellar season in the minor league, during which he won a D-League title and the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The goal for all young up and coming players is obviously to break into The Association. Nevertheless, as Scott embarks on his own respective journey to do so, Craft's continued path provides a great example of how to begin.