SCOTT STILL VITAL
Import more than offensive output, says Forde
THE shots didn’t drop for Taipans import Shannon Scott but his performance against the Kings showed why he is so highly valued by Cairns coach Adam Forde.
If you looked purely at the box score from Monday’s miracle overtime 94-88 win against the Kings, it doesn’t make for pretty reading.
Zero points from eight shots from the field, with all but one from beyond the arc, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
It’s not the type of numbers anyone looks for, and while they would obviously prefer the shots to drop, Scott, nor Forde, cared too much about the offensive output, with his overall contribution outweighing the stat sheet.
The last thing the 29year-old wants is his game to be determined by numbers.
“I don’t want to just have my game depicted on shots,” Scott said.
“If the shots not falling, you still have to play defence, you still have to play for others.
“Obviously as a human being you want your shot to fall, but I don’t want to over think that. I can’t have my shot not go in and not play defence after that, I never want to be that type of guy.
“The guys did a great job picking me up, they knew my shots weren’t falling and they kept telling me to keep shooting it because a good shot is a good shot.
“I’m not worried about it.” His response shows exactly why Forde recruited the point guard. It’s not as if the numbers don’t matter, but Scott’s role is far more than just scoring.
It’s the work off the ball, at both ends of the court, and channelling his years of experience gathered at teams in Germany, Greece, Lithuania and Venezuela, as well as the NBA G-League, at key times to provide a leading voice.
That became no more prevalent than in overtime on Monday night, when he stepped up at the defensive end to close out the miracle six-point victory which ended the Kings’ historic road winning run.
“Coach on the floor, even closed out overtime when DJ (Hogg) fouled out,” Forde said.
“There was a point I wanted to communicate what we were going to do defensively and Shannon was already all over it.
“It allows me to concentrate on other things, I don’t have to be constantly barking from that sideline.
“Shannon’s a massive inclusion and will continue to be that for the rest of our campaign.”
The Taipans are back in action on Friday night, when they face the 36ers in Adelaide.