Two seasons ago, Philadelphia 76ers veteran power forward Mike Scott was the people's champion in South Philly. After "cashing out" with a corner three in crunch time during a critical moment in a playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, Scott practically earned himself a multi-year deal with the Sixers.
But his progress with the Sixers post-trade deadline two seasons ago might've been his ceiling at this point. In 27 games with the Sixers during the 2018-2019 run, Scott averaged 7.8 points per game while shooting 41-percent from three.
The following year, those numbers dropped to six points and 36-percent in 68 games. Although first-year Sixers head coach Doc Rivers teased a comeback year for the 32-year-old forward, Scott once again struggled to live up to the 2018-2019 hype.
In 51 games this year, Scott averaged 4.2 points and drained just 34-percent of his threes and 36-percent of his shots from the field. With playoffs approaching, it's evident that Scott might be left out of Philly's rotation.
From the outside looking in, it seemed Scott didn't have too much to offer for the Sixers since he struggled on the court a lot this season. However, several Sixers youngsters paint a much different picture of Scott's value behind the scenes.
"The one [veteran] that has really put me under his wing is Mike Scott," said Sixers rookie Isaiah Joe. "He's one of the great veterans that we have here. All of our vets are great, but I think he's really taking pride in taking us under his wing and pushing us to make sure we stay on the right path."
Isaiah Joe isn't the only young player to benefit from having a mentor like Mike Scott around. Following last Sunday's win over the Orlando Magic, a game where the Sixers rested key starters and rotational players so the low-minute group could earn some playing time, 76ers rookie Paul Reed raved about his veteran teammate's value.
"Mike Scott? Definitely one of the best vets on the team," Reed stated. "He's really like a mentor for us younger guys. Not only like a mentor, but a dude that we could, you know, go and talk to. He's gonna look out for us, and we're gonna look out for him. So, he's just like a family type of deal -- family type of vibes."
While Scott might not have the opportunity to hit clutch shots for the Sixers during this year's playoff run, he remains an important piece to the team. As Philly has lacked veteran leadership in past playoff runs, they have a lot of great resources for younger and inexperienced players, not only with Scott but with a handful of others as well.
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