South Bay Lakers point guard Scott Machado proving he should be back in the NBA
South Bay Lakers point guard Scott Machado has played in the NBA, the G-League and around the world, he belongs in back in the NBA.
South Bay Lakers point guard Scott Machado is 27 years old, stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 210 pounds. Machado is a product of Iona College where he played from 2009-2012 and holds the all-time MAAC Conference record for most career assists (880). No other Iona player comes close to breaking his record.
As a Junior, he was selected for the first team all-conference and he also set a school record for dishing 281 assists in a single season.
In his senior season, Scott averaged 13.6 points, 9.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game in an average 35.5 minutes of play. His free throw percentage of 81.1 percent ranked No. 1 in his 2010-2011 season. Machado also earned Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors and was a Wooden Award and Bob Cousey Award finalist.
Undrafted in 2012, Machado played in NBA Summer League ball for the Houston Rockets and ended up signing with the team in Sept. 2012. After being assigned to the Vipers (the Rockets D-League affiliate) he was again assigned back to the Rockets and then waived.
The following January, the Vipers signed then traded the point guard to the Santa Cruz Warriors. After a stint with the Golden State Warriors, he was assigned back to Santa Cruz where he helped lead the team to the finals.
Los Angeles Lakers
Ironically, Santa Cruz would end up losing in the best of three games to the Vipers in the finals. Fortunately, Machado was able to gain some NBA Playoff experience that season when he was assigned to the Golden State Warriors and played in Game 4 in the first round in 2013. After playing with the team in the NBA Summer League, he was waived.
Such is the life in the G-League. This isn’t the first player I have seen that starts out on an NBA team and then gets bounced around. The NBA is a funny bird, but the Rockets seem notorious for bumping players on a non-NBA trajectory.
Nick Johnson (Arizona) was drafted mid-second round and barely played. The team traded him to Denver who then dropped him off their roster. He has bounced around the NBA and the G-League ever since and is currently playing for the Stars.
It just seems unfair. Especially because both players have so much promise and were given little to no time to grow before being let go. Derrick Caracter has a similar story from being drafted by the Lakers, then waved, then spent a decade playing abroad. He contends his issues getting noticed by the NBA stemmed from former Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino (his first college coach) who never understood Caracter then proceeded to spread rumors about his attitude which is obviously not a problem since he has been employed ever since.
So much power in so few people’s hands that can change or derail these young players lives. Look what happened with Pitino! Makes you wonder what can be done.
After his original stint in the then G-League, Machado, an American-born Brazilian, played for the Brazilian National team and abroad for three seasons.
- BC Kalev/Cramo of Estonia for the 2014–15 season
- EWE Baskets Oldenburg of Germany for the 2015–16 season.
- Rasta Vechta of Germany first, then joined the Spanish club ICL Manresa for the rest of the 2016–17 ACB season.
However, Machado wasn’t satisfied. He wants to live his dream, he wants to get back to the NBA and he’s doing everything he can to prove he is worthy and more.
The Iona University product ranks No. 3 in the G-League in Assists. Here are his career highs (note for the 2017-18 season, only 24 games have been played):
- Scored 39 points vs. Northern Arizona on Dec. 5, 2017
- 10 rebounds against the AC Clippers on Feb. 10, 2014
- 13 assists against Texas on Dec. 15, 2012
- Five blocks against Texas on Nov. 12, 2017
- Four steals against Erie on Feb. 6, 2013, and Reno on Mar. 15, 2014
Here are Machado’s G-League Career stats:
| Season | TEAM | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | FGM | FG% | 3PM | 3P% | FTM | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK |
| 2012-13 | RGV | 23 | 18 | 9 | 29.0 | 10.3 | 3.3 | 39.5 | 1.1 | 35.2 | 2.6 | 76.7 | 2.9 | 6.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| 2012-13 | SCW | 23 | 10 | 0 | 15.0 | 6.5 | 1.7 | 32.1 | 0.6 | 26.1 | 2.5 | 86.2 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| 2012-13 | TOT | 23 | 28 | 9 | 24.0 | 8.9 | 2.8 | 37.6 | 0.9 | 32.5 | 2.5 | 79.8 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| 2013-14 | SCW | 24 | 13 | 1 | 20.6 | 8.6 | 2.7 | 34.3 | 0.5 | 23.3 | 2.7 | 79.5 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| 2013-14 | IDA | 24 | 14 | 5 | 28.1 | 10.2 | 3.8 | 40.5 | 0.6 | 27.3 | 2.0 | 87.5 | 2.4 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| 2013-14 | TOT | 24 | 27 | 6 | 24.5 | 9.4 | 3.3 | 37.8 | 0.6 | 25.4 | 2.3 | 82.9 | 2.6 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| 2017-18 | SBL | 27 | 22 | 5 | 30.0 | 16.4 | 5.6 | 47.1 | 1.5 | 40.7 | 3.6 | 89.9 | 3.2 | 8.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Overall: | 77 | 20 | 25.9 | 11.2 | 3.8 | 41.2 | 1.0 | 33.5 | 2.8 | 84.3 | 2.8 | 5.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
The New York Native is willing to use his body to draw fouls, and when he does he usually makes it count. He has recorded nine double-doubles and scored in double figures in 21 of the 23 games he has played in. Machado has accomplished all of this coming off the bench and averaging 30 minutes a game, starting in only five games thus far.
Machado is the guy that gets the South Bay Lakers started and keeps them going. He has a great motor and doesn’t slack off in any way from when he steps on the court to when the game is over. He has accumulated 37 assists in the last three games.
.@_ScottMachado has 37 assists over the last 3 games. Feast your eyes on some of the favorites from that span. #SBLakers https://t.co/QucCTXJt23 pic.twitter.com/5UtDLBF3Aj
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) January 6, 2018
A couple of scenarios that make some sense for Machado come to mind.
In the NBA the New York Knicks could really use a third point guard like Machado. Now!
The Brooklyn Nets lost point guard Jeremy Lin for the season. Their affiliate, the Long Island Nets, recently signed their highest scorer to a two-way contract, Milton Boyle. With Lin gone, they will need full-time help and with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson having a breakout year, the two would get along great on and off the court.
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The Memphis Grizzlies have a two-way contract with guard Kobi Simmons. Simmons has been impressing coaches and fans alike with his double-digit scoring in the past few games he has played. He has not played for the Memphis Hustle for a while. Memphis could sign Simmons and need a new two-way guard. The Hustle could really use a spark plug like Machado.
Although it would be a huge loss for the South Bay Lakers, Machado should get a two-way contract, at least.
Another scenario could be the Lakers possibly making some trades, and signing Alex Caruso to the Lakers leaving a two-way deal open for Machado. Caruso makes the most of his minutes when he gets them and slams home some monster dunks.
Here is a taste of Mac-Pro (his nickname) showing his hustle, his command of the floor and his heart on the court:
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As the season wears on, opportunities will come up for Machado. But the South Bay Lakers are thin these days what with the constant movement of Ivica Zubac, Vander Blue, Thomas Bryant and Alex Caruso. Maybe the Lakers are his best bet, but NBA Scouts should be taking notice of Machado if they haven’t yet. He is only getting better as the season goes on.