6 Divisions of NBA Scouting 2018 - Virtual Scout School

College:

4-6 full-time / 2-3 part-time

NBA teams are generally made up of full-time, part-time scouts and regional scouts. Some have territory and some have the entire country. Many regional scouts will cross-check during the pre-season and post-season tournaments. These scouts report to the Director of Scouting. College scouts are able to cover a handful of High School events sanctioned/approved by the NBA. Example: McDonald’s All-American game & Nike Hoop Summit

Pro Personnel:

1-2 full-time

NBA teams generally assign one scout specifically for pro scouting (NBA and D-League). They report to either the Director of Scouting or the General Manager, depending on the team. The Pro Scout is responsible for all information, rankings, injury info, agent info, depth charts, background, etc. Pro Scouts are vital at the trade deadline, free agency and draft night trades.

Advance:

1 full-time OR 2-4 part-time

NBA teams generally have one full-time advance scout OR 2-4 part-time regional scouts. Primary responsibility is to scout the team’s opponent before playing them. Play calls, frequency, terminology, depth charts by position, player tendencies are the most important part of this job. Travel is frequent and heavy, especially during the season. This position reports the entire coaching staff.

International:

1-2 full-time and/or 2-4 regional/continental

NBA teams generally have one full-time scout based in Europe. Some teams use part-time scouts in different continents in order to have global coverage – Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, Oceana (Australia and N. Zealand). Information is paramount in this position. Contractual, background, cultural, and international league level. Relationships with international GM’s, coaches, agents and media are all very important for this position. They report to team’s Director of International Scouting.

Analytics:

1-2 full-time

Responsibilities include weekly or bi-weekly reports on anything analytical – team or player related. The scout can also prepare examples of future considerations, free agent comparisons, draft rankings, positional rankings, own team breakdown, skill category analytics and more. They usually report to the Assistant General Manager orGeneral Manager.

Video:

2-3 full-time and/or 2-4 part-time/intern

They are the right arm of the coaching staff. They prepare the assistant coaches with every, and any possible breakdown needed. Personal edits, team edits, situational edits and more. Coordinators travel with the team and are available 24/7 for all video needs. They usually report to an assistant or head coaches.