A year ago the notion that he couldn’t shoot consistently was real. It was probably his biggest knock. Me being one of them that noted it and was vocal about it. I was at the game last night courtside. His shot is changed and he’s a good shooter now. He’s had at least 4 or 5 games where he’s made 4 or more 3s this year and multiple mid range pull ups. The mechanics are much more consistent, his balance is better, his back is angled better when he shoots…he really worked on his shot this summer. I can’t call it a weakness anymore but maybe he will regress once EYBL play starts although I doubt it will have a major regression. If there is anything I can say for sure it’s that Scooby has been a consistently productive player in big games. And his jump shot seems to always be on when it matters. The state title game last year against Grand Rapids Catholic Central he was money with Marcus Bingham guarding him. Bingham has 6 or 7 inches on him and it still didn’t matter. Next step for me i want to see with Scooby is for him to continue to develop his handles. That needs additional work if he wants to play on ball more.
I actually came on here to specifically ask about Johnson’s D after watching some video. After watching a bit I thought his D looked questionable. Surprisingly, people here seem to be naming his D as a strength–comparing it to Novak’s D. He looked kind of slow laterally to me but I am wondering what people who have seen him a lot live, think.
Talked a ton about his game and broke down some film in this post.
His shot is a question, but it has been trending in the right direction. Not sure exactly what people mean when comparing to Novak’s defense. Do you think you would have thought Zack Novak was a good defender based on sophomore/junior film? Johnson’s motor and rebounding are impressive.
Was Novak even a plus defender here? I thought he was more “wow the fact that this is even a somewhat competitive battle is impressive” guy. Good for his size/position combo, but just sorta average overall.
I agree with this.
I’d call Scooby an ok not elite defender. Has super long arms and is very strong and Dylan notes he has a great motor so there is a lot to work with for the Michigan staff at the next level. He doesn’t shy from guarding top players either. He defended Emoni Bates quite a bit. All but one or two of Emoni’s buckets on Scooby were heavily contested. Emoni is just one of them Lebron or KD type generational potential talents. Just watch the game highlights and you’ll see that Scooby contested most the shots. He doesn’t usually gamble either in terms of trying to block everything. He usually just puts a hand up and stays in front.
Novak actually had better hops than Scooby. His vertical was impressive. Scooby has better lateral quickness. And better vision. If he brings any of Novak’s demeanor with him, he’ll definitely be a plus player.
No, he was a guy that got extra credit for playing out of position. He would have been overwhelmed as well if required to check perimeter guys.
Yeah that’s what I thought. Perhaps the Johnson comparison to that is good. Someone like Crowder is an elite defender though, so I don’t really see where that comes from.
Generally speaking, comparing HS juniors to 6-year pros and former conference POTYs is going to lead to some flaws.
Yeah, but it doesn’t even seem like defense seems to be the strength of Johnson. Usually in comparisons you at least try to match those up.
Are we actually comparing a high school sophomore/junior Scooby athleticism to Novak’s as a college graduate. I will put my money on Scooby’s athleticism at the same stage. I do think they may have other traits that are or will be comparable such as toughness and energy. As I’ve stated before Scooby seems like a good glue guy who would be a four year player that could be a jack of all trades master of none type who may surprise. I think he would be a good pick up.
Let me put it like this: I’ve never heard people say defense is or will be an issue for Scooby. I didn’t ever hear complaints about his defense on the EYBL last year playing his age group or up at the highest level. He’s solid not spectacular. It’s not a weakness so nobody points it out but it’s not like he’s so elite at it that people rave about it either.
I was talking about his offensive game.
I just meant his style of play. I’m not saying he will be as good as Crowder, although given our track record at developing wing players, maybe he will be, who knows?
Dreads bro, dreads.
I don’t claim to know the rules, but maybe he can use the length of his hair to deflect balls that his arm and hand reach aren’t sufficient to. That could be the difference between being a good defender and a great one.
How does Scooby compare to Vince Edwards? They sound similar in that Vince had skeptics wondering how his game would translate at the college level. He worked out fine in the long run which surprised me.
Vince is quite a bit taller. Carlos isn’t 6’6
Scooby has a good game and his team wins in a battle of top 5 teams in the state.