4 issues to find out about Jay Scrubb, who signed two-way take care of Celtics

Celtics

Scrubb, who excelled at Summer season League, has had a protracted, winding path to the NBA.

The Celtics reportedly signed wing Jay Scrubb to a two-way deal on Saturday after a standout efficiency on the Las Vegas Summer season League. 

Right here’s what it is best to find out about Scrubb.

Scrubb’s path to the NBA has been well-documented, and with good cause – it’s a winding, feel-good story that works just for a choose few.

A proficient high-school participant who grew up in a troublesome a part of Louisville, Scrubb had a 0.0 GPA and failed out of Louisville’s Central Excessive College. Freshmen who wrestle to make grades early typically wrestle to make the required grades to play NCAA basketball, and Scrubb was no exception. He attended Louisville-based prep faculty Trinity Excessive as a junior and senior and his state of affairs improved, however he remained academically ineligible for Division I when he graduated. 

So Scrubb went a unique route. He attended John A. Logan School in Illinois, the place he shortly established himself as the highest junior faculty prospect within the nation and garnered a wave of curiosity from Division I packages that beforehand couldn’t provide him a spot.

Scrubb finally dedicated to Louisville, however as his season went on and he displayed a whole bundle of NBA expertise and bodily attributes, the draft more and more appeared like a risk. 

Scrubb was suspended from the Logan crew for 3 video games following Thanksgiving break as a sophomore for arriving again on campus late, however his coach Kyle Smithpeters advised the Louisville Courier-Journal in 2020 that a part of the rationale Scrubb was suspended was to offer him a break from all the consideration. 

“Jay went via some trials and tribulations final 12 months with all the eye he was getting. His head received so large it couldn’t match via a room, and it received deflated,” Smithpeters later advised The Rating. “The factor you’ve received to offer Jay plenty of credit score for is he went again to the drafting board. He simply pulled his boots up, man. Went again to work, grinded it out, received himself the place he wanted to be mentally and bodily, and stopped listening to all of the noise.”

Regardless of Scrubb’s struggles, his coach at Trinity – Mike Szabo – noticed the expertise early on and in contrast Scrubb to former Trinity star and G-Leaguer Ray Spalding.

“He’s a particular, particular athlete,” Szabo advised the Courier-Journal in 2018. “It’s the identical factor I advised Ray: ‘You’re sitting on a successful lottery ticket.’ He might play professionally at some degree sometime.”

That proved prophetic: Scrubb was picked by the Nets with the No. 55 decide in 2020, earlier than he was dealt to the Clippers. He grew to become the primary JuCo participant chosen within the draft since 2004, when Donta Smith was picked out of Southeastern Illinois School.

Smith and Scrubb are shut, and — in an odd twist — Smith and Scrubb’s JuCo coach Smithpeters have been faculty teammates. 

“That’s my large brother. He tells me he’s pleased with me to this present day,” Scrubb advised the Rating in 2020. “He simply needs guys to concentrate to my story, and ensure (that I do know) guys are going on the market and dealing at no matter degree they’re at – D-I, D-II, D-III.”

Scrubb signed a two-way take care of the Clippers after he was drafted, however he missed most of his rookie season after present process surgical procedure on his proper foot – a process that was finished to “keep” his elite athleticism, per the Los Angeles Occasions. Scrubb performed in depth minutes within the ultimate two video games of the Clippers’ 2020-21 season, scoring 17 and 14 factors in opposition to the Rockets and Thunder respectively. 

The subsequent season, Scrubb signed a minimal take care of the Clippers and performed sparingly, scoring a season-high 9 factors in 9 minutes in November. In February, the crew introduced he would miss the remainder of the season after present process surgical procedure to restore the plantar plate in his proper foot. 

The Magic signed Scrubb to a two-way deal final 12 months. The crew waived him in June. 

Scrubb excelled at Summer season League, averaging 16.5 factors per sport earlier than enjoying simply 11 minutes within the finale in opposition to the Magic. He confirmed all the expertise that intrigued groups earlier than the draft — elite athleticism, spectacular ending potential and a nice-looking 3-point jumper. 

In line with Scrubb, he practically signed with the Celtics late final season.

“I really feel prefer it’s been nice,” Scrubb mentioned, per The Boston Globe. “I’ve proven my versatility. Often I’m an on-ball scorer, however I feel this summer time league I’ve proven that I can play with out the ball, knock down pictures, create for teammates and deal with the ball.”

These have been essential expertise for Scrubb, who drew NBA comparisons to J.R. Smith earlier than he was chosen. Smith, who was chosen out of highschool, initially entered the NBA with star projections however settled right into a extremely productive profession as a 3-point marksman. 

For the primary time this season, courtesy of the brand new CBA, NBA groups can signal as much as three gamers to two-way contracts. Underneath this CBA, gamers on two-ways will make half the rookie minimal, which might be $1.12 million in 2023-24, and they’re eligible to look in as much as 50 NBA video games. To play within the postseason, a two-way participant’s contract should be transformed to a totally assured deal. Two-way offers are non-guaranteed.

Scrubb and J.D. Davison — the Celtics’ second-round decide final 12 months — are actually each on two-way contracts. They nonetheless have room to usher in yet another participant, which might assist them deliver further expertise to coaching camp. Jordan Walsh, who the Celtics chosen with the No. 38 decide on this 12 months’s draft, signed a four-year deal earlier this offseason.