In this episode of "The Matt Babcock Show," NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock takes listeners on a journey through a year in the life of an NBA scout. Matt shares his experiences traveling across the globe to evaluate top prospects, detailing the strategies he employs to prepare for the NBA Draft. From scouting high school stars to attending college games and tournaments, Matt discusses the importance of comprehensive research, efficient planning, and the sacrifices required to excel in his field. Listeners will gain insights into the rigorous process of ranking players, the value of early evaluations, and the thrill of live basketball action.
Transcript from The Matt Babcock Show: Embrace the Grind, March 22, 2023
"As an NBA Draft Analyst, the NBA Draft is the most important day of the year for me, and the other 364 days are spent preparing. I watch a lot of film, review analytics, spend a lot of time on the phone, and perhaps most importantly, I hit the road hard. I do all of these things to learn about NBA prospects.
"So it's March, and we're at the end of the college season, and the bulk of my research has been completed. Today, I'd like to reflect on some of the scouting trips I made this season, share some of the strategies I used to prepare my schedule, and give a few tips for people looking to become a scout.
“I'm Matt Babcock, and this is The Matt Babcock Show.
"Before each season, I establish goals, and the most critical of them all may sound simple. Still, its importance is unparalleled. I need to gain comprehensive knowledge of every draft prospect before the NBA draft in June.
"As with most things, this task is easier said than done. In any given year, around 150 players are typically considered imminent NBA draft prospects, and they're scattered across the globe. Of course, watching film is essential to my process, but I must see players in person too, so I travel a lot.
"On my trips, I analyze players' on-court skill sets and physical attributes, while learning as much as possible about their character, personality, and background. I do that by networking with various people who have crossed paths with the players or just being a fly on the wall and observing things with my own eyes. There's not just one thing or another that I'm looking at when evaluating prospects. I need the full lay of the land.
“The more information I can gather, the closer I get to a comprehensive evaluation. Before hitting the road hard each season, I must identify which prospects will likely be in the upcoming draft. So I rank the players.
“But the thing is, my early season rankings are by no means set in stone. Things change throughout the season. However, it is a starting point in the process. These rankings serve as my priority watch list and roadmap. It guides me.
"Oftentimes when I look at my player rankings, I can see where the voids are in my evaluations. Naturally, it tells me which players to research further, where I need to go, and what I need to do. One trick to properly cover the NBA draft is to dedicate a decent amount of my efforts to evaluating top players at the high school level.
"Doing this gives me a head start, so I don't have to scramble to catch up once players become imminent draft prospects. In most cases, when a prospect is projected to be in the upcoming NBA draft, I already know what they're all about, at least to a certain extent.
"I kicked off this year's scouting season by going to Las Vegas, Nevada, to see the top prospect in this year's draft, Victor Wembanyama, and his team from France take on the G League Ignite and Scoot Henderson, who is arguably the second-best prospect in the draft. Seeing two of the top prospects for the 2023 NBA draft was a no-brainer.
"I followed up that trip by attending the USA Basketball Junior National Team mini-camp, which allowed me to get a head start on many players that will likely be drafted in the next several years. Some of the kids were even freshmen in high school. It may seem excessive to scout players of those ages.
"However, if you follow this approach, you'll thank yourself later. Establishing balance in my schedule to evaluate players at different stages is crucial for me to be an effective NBA draft analyst. I typically attend probably 10 or so high school events per year.
"This year, I attended Hoop Hall West in Arizona, Hoop Hall East in Massachusetts, the Pangos All-American Festival in Las Vegas, and the City of Palms Classic in Florida as examples. Once the college season began, I started to travel aggressively. I went to college towns at schools like Arkansas, Creighton, Illinois, and Texas, to name a few.
"I always feel extra pressure in November and December to go hard. I want to learn as much as possible about prospects early in the season, so that I can have all my bases covered and begin to pick and choose a bit more after the holidays and once conference play starts. Considering there are always so many different tournaments and doubleheaders around the holidays, it only makes sense because I can cover so much ground in one fell swoop.
"However, unfortunately, sometimes I must make sacrifices to do my job well. For example, this year, I spent Thanksgiving away from my family as I was in Portland, Oregon, to attend the Phil Knight Invitational. Missing Thanksgiving is not ideal, but the way I see it, I spent several days watching about a dozen high-priority prospects, including projected high-lottery pick Brandon Miller of Alabama.
"Instead of taking multiple trips to see the same players later on, which would have taken more time and money, I covered a lot of ground within a few days. When there are opportunities to see a lot of players all at once, it's efficient. In my line of work, efficiency is the key to success.
"Usually, I have a full schedule mapped out for the entire season. I do my best to prepare a well-balanced scouting calendar. However, I'm always prepared to change my plans because, well, things change.
"Throughout the year, I keep a firm pulse on the market value of prospects, as draft stocks tend to go up and down for various reasons. There are always injuries and surprising breakout players. You have to keep a pulse and adjust if need be.
"March is here, which means it's March Madness. From a scouting standpoint, March can be a critical time. With conference tournaments and the Big Dance, it is a time when you have many NBA prospects playing in one location.
"For example, I recently went to the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. I was able to see a bunch of potential draft picks, including Jett Howard, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Brice Sensabaugh, Kris Murray, Kobe Bufkin, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Coleman Hawkins, Terrence Shannon Jr., and a bunch more. But I think you get the point.
"Conference tournaments are great opportunities to get a lot done. Here's the thing: if all goes well throughout the season, I should feel less pressure by the time the Big Dance begins, as I should already have a good grip on the draft. Then I can relax in the comfort of my own home and watch all the games on TV just like everyone else, which is exactly what I did this year.
"Actually, I'm taking my family to Florida for my kids' spring break this week. But don't worry, I'll still watch the games on TV. I don't think you'll be surprised to hear me say this, but I love attending basketball games.
"I get a rush of adrenaline every time I walk into an arena. I love everything about it: the fans, the music, the band playing, the warm-ups, and the live action too, of course. I also enjoy traveling.
"I like to see and try new things. My job allows me to do both of these things all the time. Naturally, I love my job.
"I'm lucky to be able to do what I do. However, don't be misled. Covering the NBA draft is a lot of work.
"It's a grind. To do this job well, you have to dive all in. I don't think one can check in and out like your typical nine-to-five.
"You have to embrace the grind. Being an NBA draft analyst and scout is my job. Although it may be what I do, in my mind, it's not just what I do. It's who I am.
"I'm NBA draft analyst Matt Babcock. And this is The Matt Babcock Show."
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