While most top NBA Draft prospect will participate in the upcoming Combine, June 7-8, former Syracuse point guard Scoop Jardine will be working out for the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Jardine, a non-Combine invitee, is a low-tier prospect by the opinion of many draft experts and for him to get his named called June 28th at the NBA Draft, he will need to impressive scouts with these types of individual workouts.
Currently, the Knicks do not have a first-round pick but do have a second-round selection (No. 45) overall, which would be about where Jardine would go if his name is called.
However, there's some good news for Jardine, as it seems New York is interested in him and they need depth at the point guard position.
The executive called Jardine "real clever and crafty and very good at using angles and has good vision.’’ However, Jardine is not considered particularly athletic or possessing the kind of speed Lin showed during his breakout two months.
Still, NBA scouts see Jardine as a potential backup, after he averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 assists for the Orange as a senior.
In his final season at Syracuse, Jardine tallied 8.9 points, 4.9 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game, while averaging 25.2 minutes a game.
However, Jardine's biggest attributes are shown through his intangibles, which feature a solid character, strong leadership skills and the confidence to take the big shot and make it. As much of a passer as Jardine is, with the game on the line he's not afraid to put his team on his back.
Jardine's negatives revolve around his scoring ability, which features a solid inside game but needs a lot of work from the outside. His biggest question, though, will be his defense, as Syracuse plays a 2-3 zone and never shifts into a man-to-man defense. Can Jardine man-up on other back-up point guards in the league?
If the Knicks are looking for a somebody to fill a bench spot and play well in limited time, Jardine would be a good selection, but the Philadlephia native does come with some question marks that will need to be worked out on Wednesday.
For more on Syracuse basketball draft prospects, make sure to check back to this SB Nation New York StoryStream or the SB Nation blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Meanwhile, for everything on the Knicks visit Posting And Toasting.