Mike Scott thriving thanks to Philadelphia 76ers’ system

The Philadelphia 76ers’ system is significantly elevating the game of recently acquired 6-foot-8 forward Mike Scott.

The Philadelphia 76ers‘ offense features one of the most dynamic point guards in the league in Ben Simmons (assisting 34.4 percent of the Sixers’ field goals made) and ranks eighth in offensive efficiency (110.2). The assist ratio of the Philadelphia 76ers (19.0) is tied for fourth-best in the NBA, their pace (104.1) ranks seventh, and their percentage of assisted field goals made (65.4) leads the Eastern Conference. All of which benefit Mike Scott, who has been nothing short of impressive fulfilling the Sixers’ sixth-man role.

Scott is attempting a career-high 4.6 three-point attempts with Philadelphia and equally set a career high in three-point attempts made per game. Scott owns a career 35.9 three-point percentage but has raised that percentage by 2.7 in his tenure with the Sixers. Scott’s 38.6 three-point percentage in 18 games with Philadelphia is on par with his percentage from a season prior (40.5) despite attempting 53 more three-point shots this season.

Scott’s three-point attempt rate has skyrocketed with Philadelphia thus far, increasing by over 30 percent compared to 2017-18. More precisely, Scott’s three-point attempt rate percentage was less than 45.0 percent in all of his first six seasons, far below his 64.8 percent attempt rate with Philadelphia.

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Scott shoots three-point shots with 64.0 percent frequency this season (7.0 percent increase after he was traded to Philadelphia), good for the 95th percentile relative to his position. Additionally, Scott is connecting on 38.0 percent of his three-point attempts (besides heaves), a percentage he has eclipsed only twice before in his seven seasons (career-high 86th percentile this year). With Philadelphia, Scott is making 40 percent of his non-corner three-point attempts, a percentage higher than that of CJ McCollum and D’Angelo Russell.

Although Scott’s mid-range scoring has been merely ineffective with the Sixers, he is greatly benefitting from their prolific ball movement. While Scott was assisted on 96 percent of his three-point makes with the Clippers, he has attempted 83 shots beyond the arch with Philadelphia and all of his makes were assisted.

In the past two months, Scott has attempted 24 three-point shots from either the right corner or the left corner and let a total of 67 three-point shots fly from above the break. Scott is shooting 41.6 percent on corner three-point attempts and 41.7 percent on three-point attempts above the break in the months of February and March combined. Likewise, Scott made all three of his attempts on running three-point jump shot opportunities in that two month span.

Throughout the first four months of the season, Scott attempted a per game average of 2.05 catch and shoot  tries (1.1, 3.1, 2.1, 1.9). With the Sixers, though, Scott is attempting an average of 4.15 catch and shoot three-point attempts per game, owning a 43.3 percent three-point percentage in that situation for the previous two months.

In February, Scott was scoring an average of 5.6 points per game (22nd) and shot 51.3 percent on catch and shoot three-point attempts (21st), both among the top-25 best in the league. Though Scott’s three-point percentage fell with the more catch and shoot attempts he took, his points per game average in March sunk to just 5.3 which, regardless, is tied for 25th best.

The Philadelphia 76ers allow Scott the opportunity to shoot the basketball more than he ever has, best represented by his spike in both three-point attempts and three-point attempt rate. Scott, currently owning the second-highest three-point percentage on Philadelphia, is frequently given the “green light” to attempt deep shots.

Scott is releasing the third most three-point attempts per game on the Sixers and he has been an incredible beneficiary of the Philadelphia 76ers’ pace and space.