OT: How does one become a scout?

[azcatz11]

I know Big J is a freelance scout but I’m wondering more so about becoming a scout for an NBA team.

How do people break into it? Do you have to be a former player? Obviously there’s no degree for scouting. Is it just becoming known on twitter and taking it from there?

[Big J]

Hey man thanks for the shout. What I always tell guys who want to do it is that if you can imagine yourself doing anything else, go do that other thing. Myself & all of the dudes I know who are in this business would either be in a mental institution or in prison or something if we weren’t doing it. The industry is constantly changing, and we’re all adapting daily to the beast that it is. Every one of us will tell you that it is a constant struggle to stay on top, and if you ever hear someone tell you they know exactly what you need to do to figure it out, that person is full of ****.

[BostonCouchGM]

nepotism and connections gained by playing and being around the game.

[Colbinii]

Hey man thanks for the shout. What I always tell guys who want to do it is that if you can imagine yourself doing anything else, go do that other thing. Myself & all of the dudes I know who are in this business would either be in a mental institution or in prison or something if we weren’t doing it. The industry is constantly changing, and we’re all adapting daily to the beast that it is. Every one of us will tell you that it is a constant struggle to stay on top, and if you ever hear someone tell you they know exactly what you need to do to figure it out, that person is full of ****.

Is this a copy-pasta?

[ItsDanger]

Post content online with contact info and you can get noticed. Be brutally honest with your assessments. Don't be like most of these content creators who just follow the crowd. You can tell within 60 seconds whether they actually watched a lot of the player's games or not.

[GSWFan1994]

Hey man thanks for the shout. What I always tell guys who want to do it is that if you can imagine yourself doing anything else, go do that other thing. Myself & all of the dudes I know who are in this business would either be in a mental institution or in prison or something if we weren’t doing it. The industry is constantly changing, and we’re all adapting daily to the beast that it is. Every one of us will tell you that it is a constant struggle to stay on top, and if you ever hear someone tell you they know exactly what you need to do to figure it out, that person is full of ****.

[reanimator]

I can only speak for the grassroots level.

Go to tournaments and hs games, film, break down film, market yourself on social media, but most importantly talk with and build connections with the hs/college coaches, players, family members and other scouts at these games or even online.

I know guys who made the leap from grassroots to nba but thats after deeply entrenching themselves.

To skip all of this, go to college and specialize in some form of data analytics then go to the nba franchises job boards.

[MemphisX]

I know Big J is a freelance scout but I’m wondering more so about becoming a scout for an NBA team.

How do people break into it? Do you have to be a former player? Obviously there’s no degree for scouting. Is it just becoming known on twitter and taking it from there?

My advice is to get in front of NBA people as much as possible. Volunteer at camps, get an entry-level job for a team (ticket sales, game operations), etc. Start your own scouting service (website/youtube) as if you were providing the information to NBA teams. Get your arse off the internet and go to watch guys play. Start with 9th/10th graders (maybe younger) and start a database. Provide something others are not providing (like accurate measurements over years). Pump out content. There are a lot of people half-assing it right now. So to stand out you have to go harder. Think about what DraftExpress was before ESPN bought it.