Indiana Pacers NBA Draft profile: JUCO G/F Jayden Scrubb

Should the Indiana Pacers consider reigning JUCO player of the year Jayden Scrubb with the 54th pick?

The Indiana Pacers are now less than a week away from the 2020 NBA Draft. Personally, I haven’t been more excited to see what happens with a second-round pick for the Pacers. Between the Pacers getting swept, basketball ending, COVID, and the election I really don’t have much to look forward to.

I do, however, have the 54th pick in the 2020 Draft to look forward to. When the Pacers are on the clock I’ll keep my eyes glued to the screen in waiting to find out which direction Kevin Pritchard and company decide to go.

One prospect I have been very interested in goes by the name Jayden Scrubb. Scrubb has been projected to go anywhere in the second round or potentially late in first round. Scrubb hails from Louisville and played his JUCO basketball at John A. Logan College. In his sophomore year, Scrubb won JUCO player of the year honors. If Scrubb is on the board at 54, I think the Pacers should take a long look.

Strengths

Jayden Scrubb has a few skills that really jump out off the page at you. The first one you may notice is his incredible athleticism. Scrubb stands at 6-foot-6 and has pogo stick leaps. His highlight reel will showcase this ability with all the big-time dunks he has. I haven’t been able to locate an official vertical for him but it’s rumored to be around 40 inches.

Jayden Scrubb is also equipped with a very solid three-point shot. He shot 46.4 percent from three in college last season. When I first watched him his shot looked clean but not super smooth yet. His trainer stated in an interview they have been working on his jump shot in preparation for the draft and from the footage, the shot appears way more fluid and smooth. His go-to shot is the step back or side step three which seems like it’s always good.

Rebounding is another strength for Scrubb. In college, he averaged 8.9 rebounds a game. 81 of those 266 rebounds he collected all year were offensive rebounds, usually resulting in two points. Granted these numbers are against JUCO players and not fully grown NBA basketball players, but that does prove one thing useful. It shows that Scrubb has a knack for finding the ball on the court which is a good skill to have.

One more tidbit, Scrubb is a lefty, and lefty scorers in the NBA are so much fun to watch.

Weakness

Jayden Scrubb does have some weaknesses in his game. Turnovers can be an issue for him as he racked up 69 turnovers in just 30 games. Playmaking is also an area of improvement for Scrubb as he only averaged 1.5 assists per game last season. Add that together with his turnover totals and his assist to turnover ratio is very alarming.

Another weakness that could show up at the NBA level would be his ball-handling ability. Scrubb possesses a solid ball-handling ability that can get him to the rim but at the next level, his dribble may not be tight enough against other pro-level guards.

The biggest question I think for Scrubb is whether or not he can add more dimensions to his game. Right now, he is a potential three-level scorer with a solid three-point shot and superb athleticism. He has the rebounding ability to potentially be a quality level rebounder at the position.

Can he develop that playmaking ability or can he be the above-average defender for a playoff team? I think these two factors will be huge in his development and realizing his full potential.

Now, when the Indiana Pacers are on the clock at 54 do I think they could take Scrubb if he is still on the board? Absolutely! He will be a developmental project, but the ceiling for Jayden Scrubb could be a really good role player for a team. At pick 54 that would be an amazing return on investment as most second-round picks are usually projects. Hopefully, the draft will pan out in our favor.