Outside Looking In: Looking at this Draft Class with a Unique Perspective

Stephen Gillaspie returns to the scouting world after being gone for three months.

I’m Home…

Not much has changed since I’ve been gone. Yes, I have returned to my family, my friends, and the draft community after taking some time off due to the nature of my work. Being air-dropped into this stage of the scouting process comes with its challenges, but I love the fact that I can give a perspective that you cannot get from anyone else in our world of the NBA Draft.

For those who know, I began this scouting cycle just like the rest of my colleagues at No Ceilings. I wrote my first piece of this new class writing about AJ Storr back in September. I dove back into film from the year prior, I watched film of all of the freshmen, and I dissected whatever I could about the international players who were on the radar. I interviewed a handful of players. All in all, I put out about four months worth of writing, interviews, and podcasts. But then I had to leave.

When I go for my work, I don’t just go somewhere else and do all of the same things I can do when I’m home. I can’t watch TV. I can’t read an article. I can’t listen to podcasts. I can’t make a phone call. If I’m lucky, I can get a couple of emails that lets me know how my loved ones are doing with maybe a line or two about what prospects are performing well. I do that for a few months.

That sounds tough to a lot of people when I talk to them about the nature of what I do, but I’ve known this process for fourteen years. It’s obviously tough for a married man with four children so one would assume it would be a difficult task for a talent evaluator as well. It is challenging—and I won’t pretend it is advantageous—but missing the time I’ve missed hasn’t been the kiss of death you may believe it to be.

What I want to do in this piece is multifaceted. For one, I love the No Ceilings family, and I want to continue to let folks in to what my scouting process is like as it evolves. Additionally, I want to share what I have noticed since I’ve returned. Some of what I share will certainly not be ground-breaking; you may have heard some of my points already. What I hope to do is to provide a fresh perspective, as if I was awakened from being cryogenically frozen. Let’s begin.