A former top 10 recruit, Scottie Lewis became one of the best defenders in the country at Florida. As a sophomore, Lewis averaged 8 PPG, 3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1 BPG, and 1.9 TOPG on shooting splits of 45/32/67. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Scottie Lewis
Height/Weight: 6’5/ 189
Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: Wing
College/ country: Florida
Tools: Athleticism, defense
Pros:
- Excellent quickness
- Great shot blocker for a wing; hard on closeouts
- Great recovery time/ rotation speed
- Plays the passing lanes well
- Elite athleticism
- Quick burst when slashing
- Shooting touch is much better than form
- High motor
- Good rebounder with a nose for the ball
Cons:
- Raw offensively- needs to refine overall skills
- Must speed up jump shot and reduce arc
- Poor shooter off the dribble
- Plays out of control too often
- Needs to add strength
- Has to improve ball handling
- Not much of a playmaker for others; averaged more turnovers than assists
Overall:
Scottie Lewis is one of the most electric defenders in the draft, thanks to his long wingspan, high motor, outstanding athleticism, and a strong ability to read offenses. Lewis checks all the boxes teams look for when evaluating high-level defenders, with all the reasons above, as well as his recovery ability, long closeouts, and upside for growth as he gets stronger and adds more weight. However, his offense is a much different story than his defense. Lewis likely provides only one trait in the half-court offense: cutting. Lewis has a very basic and non-threatening handle, so while he does have a strong first step and ability to finish at the rim, he is unlikely to be able to translate that as a creator. Instead, he will have to thrive off of cuts, particularly from the corners, to utilize his outstanding finishing ability. As a sophomore, Lewis shot 73% at the rim, which is elite for nearly any position on the court. However, a lot of those finishes came from transition, where he was best able to use his athleticism in the open court and finish one-on-one. Lewis’ jump shot gets far too much arc, and he is far away as a pull-up shooter. If he can knock down the open 3 at a passable rate, Lewis’ chances to stick in the league skyrocket. The bet on Lewis is banking on his raw upside turning into productiveness and carving out a role as a defensive specialist with enough offense to justify staying on the floor during critical stretches.
Similar to: Terrance Ferguson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Shelden Williams
Projected draft range: 30-55
Games seen in 2021: Army, Vanderbilt 12/30, Arkansas 2/16, SC 2/3, WVU, Ole Miss 1/12 Miss. State 1/16, Georgia 2/20, Missouri 3/3 Vanderbilt SECT, Tennessee SECT, Oral Roberts, Virginia Tech
Expected role: Defensive specialist
Unplayable if: A lack of a jump shot and offensive game are too detrimental to the team where his defense doesn’t at least break even with his offense
Exceeds expectations if: Ability to cut and hit an occasional spot up 3 translate offensively, while maintaining his defensive prowess.
