Scott is thrilled to play for Rivers

LAS VEGAS — NBA veteran Mike Scott always has been a fan of Clippers coach Doc Rivers. When the Clippers called the 6-foot-8 forward this summer to ask him to join their team, he jumped at the opportunity.

Scott, who played five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and last season with the Washington Wizards, signed a one-year deal with the Clippers on Monday.

A bonus will be getting to again play alongside Lou Williams, who spent two seasons with Atlanta while Scott was there.

“Doc Rivers is a player’s coach,” Scott said Monday night after the Clippers lost to the Houston Rockets in an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. “I’ve always admired his coaching.

“Playing with Lou again, that would be great. It’s a great opportunity. I’ve never played on the West Coast before. It’ll be a big challenge for me and I just feel like I wanted it.”

Scott, who turns 30 this week, averaged 8.8 points last season and shot 52.7% from the field. His 40.5% shooting from three-point range ranked 31st in the NBA.

Of the 357 games Scott has played in the NBA, he started only eight. In Scott’s eyes, his role won’t change. He’ll come off the bench and play either forward spot.

“It’ll be the same role I had with Washington, make shots, come off the bench, play with a lot of energy, get buckets,” Scott said, adding of his job, “It’ll be to push people around, have fun and compete. … Definitely guard different positions. That’s what the NBA is turning to.”

Playing through pain

His knees were wrapped in ice and his right wrist was sore, but that didn’t stop rookie Jerome Robinson from playing against the Rockets.

He sat out Sunday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings because of a sore left knee that he began to ice during the Summer League opener Friday night against the Golden State Warriors. Then he bumped his right knee during Monday night’s game. The wrist on his shooting hand also became sore during Monday’s game.

Robinson managed to play 22 minutes 37 seconds and score 14 points on sixfor-13 shooting.

“Jerome plays with an efficient pace,” said Casey Hill, the Clippers Summer League coach. “Everything he does, it’s the perfect line to take.

“He’s a tough kid and he loves basketball. He’s taking it pretty seriously. This is his profession. It’s very apparent when you talk to him and when you watch him just kind of conduct himself in the early stages as a pro. He’s got a long career ahead of him.”

The 6-5 Robinson has been starting at small forward. He’s naturally a shooting guard, but Robinson said he’s a multifaceted player.

“I’m a guy that can handle the ball,” he said. “I haven’t had that many opportunities. I think I just need to be a little more aggressive.”