[Before Orlando’s Dennis Scott went “3D,” he answered to “Great Scott.” The “Great” was likewise a nod to his uncanny marksmanship from way downtown. But the rest of Scott’s rookie game was mostly a work in NBA progress. In this article, from the May 1991 issue of Magic Magazine, writer Bill Doughty offers a pretty objective review of Great Scott’s NBA career in progress.
How objective? Well, as a point of reference before reading the article, here are the main points of the excellent Dennis Scott entry in the 1991-92 edition of Rick Barry’s Pro Basketball Scouting Report:
Scott, who many scouts felt was best shooter in the 1990 draft, lived up to his billing . . . While he started slow (.376 after 16 games) and faded fast, for the most part he displayed the long-range ability that made him a high lottery (fourth overall) pick . . . Launched an NBA-record 334 treys , canning .374, eleventh best in the league . . . But it didn’t take long for the league to figure out the best way to defend the 6-feet-8 small forward was to crowd him on the perimeter . . . To his credit, Scott over the course of the season, markedly improved his ability to put it on the floor—with either hand.
And:
Had a weight problem in college, but met all of the Magic’s guidelines in that respect last season . . . He’s much more “sculpted” now and continued “chiseling’ (along with drills for agility and quickness) this past summer . . . Easy to like . . . Coachable . . . “But does he understand how hard he has to work?” wondered one observer . . . Others feel his work ethic is a strength.
With the above as prelude, here is Doughty’s fine story about fine player who would go 3D and would be Magic from long-range throughout his NBA career.]
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It was the early minutes of a late-season home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Dennis Scott, the Orlando Magic’s 1990 first-round draft pick, lofted a 15-foot jumper. His eyes were fixed on the basket, his right hand extended in the air in the swan shape of an ideal follow-through. With a soft backspin, the ball arced through the air toward the goal. The mechanics were perfect, but the aim was off ever so slightly. The ball bounded off the back rim into the waiting hands of Kevin Duckworth, the Blazers’ mountain of a center.
A few minutes later, the 6-feet-8 forward drove to the basket. Three Blazers went up with him, and the ball again missed its target. On another trip downcourt, Scott received the ball to the left of the basket behind the three-point arc. He set his feet and fired, expecting to hear the roar of the crowd and public address announcer Paul Porter exclaim, “Three for Grrrreat Scott!” But the shot again ticked off the rim. A silent expletive escaped Scott’s lips as he turned to run back on defense. It would be a long night.
He finished the game hitting only 6 of 17 shots from the field (including three three-pointers), 2 of 6 from the free-throw line for 17 points. It was a down moment in a rookie season filled with ups and downs.
Still, Scott finished two points above his season average, despite the poor shooting percentage. The fact that he played 35 of 48 minutes was testimony to the strides he has made over the season. Earlier in the season, he would have spent most of the game parked on the bench after such a slow start.
In all, the ups have far outweighed the downs in Scott’s rookie season. He has been near the top of all statistical categories among the league’s rookies, seems a shoo-in for the NBA All-Rookie team and will probably garner more than a few votes for Rookie of the Year, although that honor likely will go to Derrick Coleman of the New Jersey Nets. No, not a bad first year at all.
“I think overall it’s been a pretty good rookie year,” Scott said. “I started out slow, then I got acclimated to the [Magic] system, the travel, the NBA style of play. Now I’m just trying to stay consistent through the end of the year and build on that for next year.”
After foregoing his senior year at Georgia Tech, Scott came to the Magic as the fourth pick overall in last year’s NBA draft. He signed a five-year deal with the Magic worth an average of more than $2 million a year. It was a contract that came with a lot of expectations. ”When you’re drafted fourth in the country, big things are expected of you,” said Magic head coach Matt Goukas. “Unfortunately, most people expect them too soon.”
Scott came to Orlando with a well-deserved reputation as an offensive marksman. He averaged almost 28 points a game his last year at Tech and sank at least one three-point shot in 69 consecutive games and in 95 of 99 games overall. He was Tech’s all-time leading scorer after only three seasons, 15th leading scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference history.
There were some questions, though. Could he do more on offense than fire from the outside? Could he play the rough man-to-man defense required in the NBA? Could he keep his weight in check?
The outside shooting was never in question. His choice of jersey number made the brash statement that you would see a lot of “3’s from number 3.” (The number 4 he wore at Georgia Tech already belonged to point guard Scott Skiles.) Orlando fans roared with delight as his first two regular-season NBA three-point attempts hit nothing but net. Unfortunately, he was hitting little else in his role off the bench. Scott quickly learned he would have to expand his game to survive in the pros.
“In the beginning of the year, he was relying primarily on the long-range jumper, and the teams were taking that away from him,” Goukas said. “To his credit, Dennis started to put the ball on the floor a little more, going to the basket and trying to get fouled, and it opened up his offensive game.”
As defenders became aware that Scott would not hesitate to take the ball to the hoop, the jump shot became more effective. This season he has become the all-time NBA rookie leader for three-point field goals and was invited to the three-point shootout during All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, a rare honor for a rookie.
“I’m not a super athlete like [teammates] Nick Anderson or Otis Smith, so I try to use my shooting and my knowledge of the game to get past a lot of things,” Scott said.
Goukas and Scott both acknowledge that his individual defense needs work. Scott plans to spend the summer months working on that and his ballhandling skills. “The hardest adjustment I’ve had to make is knowing that I’m going to be playing a good player one night and another good player the next night,” said Scott, who, at 22, is the Magic’s youngest player. “Each night you’re facing different players with different styles.”
Then there is the question of Scott’s physical conditioning. His weight has been a point of contention from the day he walked onto the Georgia Tech campus, following a standout career at Flint Hill Prep Academy in Oakton, Va. He weighed in at 250 pounds, which put him beyond pudgy into the category of just plain fat.
“He always felt his weight was not going to hurt him,” said Bobby Cremins, coach of Georgia Tech. “He thought he could get into shape by playing basketball.”
After an ankle injury in his sophomore year, Scott’s weight ballooned once more. He and Cremins had a long talk, and Scott—finally tired of all the criticism—came back as a junior with better eating habits and a renewed sense of dedication.
That continued in earnest after his decision to leave school early for the NBA. He came to the Magic weighing around 235, after working out daily, lifting weights, running, and swimming. By the end of the season, he was down under 230. But Goukas says Scott must continue to work on a body that can only be termed “soft.”
“His body shape definitely needs to be firmed up more,” Goukas said. “I also think he needs more leg strength. That’s very important, especially when you’re a long-range shooter.”
Ten games into the season, Scott moved into the starting lineup. Each game was an education, and each day on the practice court was a learning experience under the tutelage of the team’s veterans. “Otis Smith probably taught me the most,” Scott reflected. “Every night he comes out and plays hard; every practice he goes hard, no matter what. He really shows he’s a true player, and that he belongs in this league. His dedication is an example to me.”
What has pleased Magic officials most is the day-by-day improvement in Scott’s game. “I think the most encouraging thing is that Dennis has shown continual improvement as the year has gone on,” said Pat Williams, the Magic’s president and general manager. “He has laid a good foundation.”
Things all came together for Scott in March, when he averaged more than 19 points a game—including 25 points or more on four occasions—to go with 3.5 rebounds and slightly more than two assists a contest. The Magic faithful got a glimpse of what can be as Scott’s scorched Denver for 40 points, then came back two nights later with 34 against the Los Angeles Lakers. His efforts that week garnered him Player of the Week honors, and he subsequently was named Rookie of the Month.
“Times like that, you feel like the basket is as big as the ocean; you just have to take the shot,” Scott said. “You get the stroke going, and it just feels so good, like anything you put up will go in the hole.”
But he also learned the good times don’t last forever. In April, he went into a slump that included the Portland game, followed by a 3-for-10 shooting performance against Boston. “You just how have to keep shooting your way out of it,” Scott said. “Sooner or later, the percentages will come back around in your favor, and you’ll start hitting the shots.”
A rookie season is a time of continual adjustment, not only on the court but off. The travel, the notoriety, the money. Some can’t handle it. But Scott appears to have a level head on his shoulders, due in no small part to the influence of his mother, Elizabeth, a single parent. “She was a tremendous influence on me.” Scott said. “I owe her everything.”
The travel has been wearing, but Scott said he likes living in Orlando (“especially the weather”). He has a steady girlfriend, whom he declined to discuss at length. No marriage plans just yet, however. “Not anytime soon,” he said. “We want to take it one step at a time.”
Scott said he will shuttle in and out of Orlando over the summer. “A little bit of here, there, and everywhere,” he said. He’s already made his commercial debut in a spot for Nike and hopes more such opportunities come his way during the offseason.
He’s been excited about the Magic’s improvement this year and hopes it continues next season. “I’m happy to be part of the Magic, and I want to do whatever it takes for the team to win,” Scott said. “We’re a young team, and if we get some help on the inside, we can be a factor in this league. Hopefully, I’ll be part of this team when it wins the NBA championship.”
Scott is certainly satisfied with his rookie year, and there haven’t been complaints from any other quarters either. “We had high expectations when we drafted Dennis, and he’s met or exceeded all our hopes to this point,” Williams said. “We’re pleased.”
From Way Downtown 