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Photo via Hoop Speak.com
It has always been a struggle for Iona senior point guard Scott Machado to get notice dating back to high school. He was not a highly recruited prospect coming out of St. Benedict’s high school in New Jersey as a teammate of NBA bound Samardo Samuels.
After his high school career ended at the prestigious St. Benedict’s Machado saw no other option than the Iona Gaels, a local New York based small school in the MAAC.
Here is my interview with Scott.
Over the course of four years (still in his senior year) Machado has made the best of his time with the Gaels. He is already one of the most decorated point guards in the last 14 years according to Basketball-Reference and is making a name for himself as a top NBA prospect at his position.
He is built well for an NBA point guard at 6-1 180 lbs. with good strength and body control. Machado has firm control of his body using it to create angles and advantages.
The only thing bringing Machado down as an NBA prospect is the same reason he was never looked at by major conference schools out of high school, he is a limited athlete. His speed and quickness is not on par with next level point guards which is as important at his position as anything. Point guards are in charge of setting tempo, and with the way the game is officiated today, they have control of the game. Machado will not jump out of the gym or win very many foot races at the Combine. However, his athleticism does not limit him in his foot-speed or ability to shift his body quickly which can be equally as important.
As a scorer Machado does not emphasis on getting his own, but has the ability to score in a multitude of ways. Off the dribble he is not explosive enough to score consistently at the rim or in the paint, but has the skills to get there. His handle is crafty enough to get to where he needs to be on the court for himself. Machado can finish on both sides with both hands well, in traffic against above average athletes it may not be as easy due to his lack of explosiveness. His shooting stroke is not as fluid as others and he does not knock down the NBA three at a great percentage. From a shooting perspective his form is good and the release is high, but slow, that indicates he can improve as a shooter going forward. Though a quicker release will be needed at the next level.
Scoring will not be Machado’s meal ticket in the NBA however, his game management and passing ability are what makes him a prospect.
Through the course of a game Machado has proven to be one of the best game managers and architects in the country. He does not play with the flash and flair that his peers do; he makes the simple, but forgotten plays. Depending on the situation Machado can utilize every type of pass in the book from the bounce pass to the cross-court lob to the ally-oop. Today’s point guard has so much responsibility yet is evolving athletically that making the simple play is often overlooked.
At Iona he plays in an up-tempo system that is very fast paced and fast-break oriented, very suitable for the NBA. He may not have the greatest top end speed, but he runs the break fluidly getting up-and-down the court. In the half-court Machado is equally effective getting his teammates involved off of penetration, running plays, and creativity.
Last season Machado finished third (7.5) in the NCAA in assists per game and is currently tied for first (10.1) this season. He has done that each year with relatively unimpressive talent surrounding him. He is not playing with 7+ McDonald’s All-American’s and/or with Hall of Fame Coaches, instead he is doing the best with what is around him. This season he has the team’s leading scorer returning along with Arizona transfer Lamont “MoMo” Jones helping him out. That raises two significant points.
- Machado is getting better over time.
- Machado is even better with talent around him.
Both points are very relative in NBA terms because Machado will be playing with the most talented scorers in the world around him waiting for the ball in a good scoring position. He also has some of that all important untapped potential that NBA teams covet.
What separates Machado from his peers, the athletes and the much applauded, is his ability on the other end of the court.
Defensively Machado is a very instinctual defender that can disrupt a game. His athleticism is not apparent in running straight lines, but he has great footwork on defense that allows his to move with an offensive player on and off the ball. He has played in unique defensive patterns including the zone (2-3), Box And-1, press as well as in man-to-man. Off the ball he is an eraser denying the ball and taking his man out of the play time after time. When on the ball he is very adept at stripping the ball from the opposition when they bring it in-front of him.
Very smart on both ends of the floor, Machado is a complete player that does not resemble the athletically gifted point guards of today. He is more of an 80’s or 90’s style point guard.
The way Machado plays defense at the point guard position and makes the smart, not flashy play is reminiscent of a current NBA All-Star and yearly MVP Candidate. THIS IS NOT A COMPARISON, but simply an observation. The smoothness and fluidity he plays the game, the calm he brings to an offense has similar traits to Chris Paul. He is not the second coming; talents like those are once every 20-30 years if we are lucky. What he can be is a player that possesses similar traits with the potential to be a very good NBA point guard.
Overall Machado is a perfect talent for a team looking for a steady player, not necessarily a dominant athlete that makes the style plays, but has a lot of substance to go around.
