Jay Scrubb’s path to the NBA was a little bit different than most players. He wasn’t a nationally ranked recruit coming out of high school. He didn’t play at a major Division 1 college. Jay Scrubb ultimately chose to bet on himself and it worked.
After starring at Trinity High School in Louisville Kentucky, Scrubb went the junior college route at John A Logan College. He had an explosive first season averaging 20.2 points per game and shooting 46 percent from three-point range. He was named National Junior College Athletic Association Region 24 Player of the Year and was a NJCAA Division 1 All-American.
He started to draw interest from Division 1 colleges after his freshman year and he committed to the hometown University of Louisville before the start of his sophomore season at John A Logan. He had a strong second year with 21.9 points per game and was named the NJCAA Division 1 Player of the Year.
But instead of suiting up for Louisville, he opted to enter the 2020 NBA draft. There have been players who played junior college basketball and made it to the NBA before, but most of them have transferred to a Division 1 school before going pro.
Donta Smith was the last one who made the jump straight from junior college back in 2004 and was drafted until the Brooklyn Nets drafted Scrubb with the 55th overall pick and immediately traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
While he didn’t have the most traditional path to the NBA, Scrubb believes his experience only prepared him better for the next level, especially from a mental standpoint.
“Before going into JuCo I was immature. I was a 17-year-old kid and still learning about myself. When I got to JuCo I was isolated a lot,” Scrubb told 213Hoops. “I was able to figure myself out more, what I’m into and what I like to do. It’s maturity, it’s going down there and having to fend for myself, grocery shopping, wake myself up for class, little things like that just add to that maturity factor.”
Scrubb’s rookie year with the Clippers was anything but ordinary. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, summer league was canceled and the preseason was abbreviated. The rookie class of 2020 was thrown to the fire immediately. To top it off, no fans were allowed in NBA arenas until close to the very end of the regular season.
To complicate matters, immediately after the draft it was announced that Scrubb needed surgery for a right foot injury and would be sidelined for three to four months. He suited up in only four games his rookie year, all of them coming at the very end of the regular season.
In the final two games of the season, he showed why he was considered NBA material right out of junior college. He put up 17 points, six rebounds and two steals against the Houston Rockets. He followed that up with 14 points and seven rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For Scrubb, the majority of his rookie year was all about observation and learning how to be a pro.
“It was a lot of observing. I had the injury so dealing with that, it was a lot of rehabbing,” Scrubb said. “It was being patient and waiting on an opportunity, waiting for my name to be called.”
When the Clippers first signed Scrubb after the draft, he was signed to a two-way contract, meaning he’d split time between the team and their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers. His injury kept him out of the G League bubble last season, and this year he’s been able to get his first reps in with them.
Through the first month plus of the G League season, Scrubb has been putting up 19.8 points per game on a scoring efficiency of 56.4% True Shooting. To start December, Scrubb poured in 36 points including 14 in the fourth quarter to help Agua Caliente pull off a win against the Salt Lake City Stars. So far, he’s enjoyed his time in the G League.
“It’s just the same as I see it up there in the league. I’m just trying to see wherever it is I can get better and how I can put myself in with the other team,” Scrubb said. “Just trying to make sure I take the right shots, play the right way and find the guys that need to be found. It’s just putting myself in the right position.”
The G League has grown in competition in recent years, with close to every NBA team having its own affiliate. What once began as a place for rookies and young players to get in work has now become a place where older veterans go to get back up to game speed, as the Clippers’ Serge Ibaka did last month.
Veteran free agents who are trying to get back to the league have also increasingly used the G League as a platform to get back on NBA radars. Scrubb has found the competition to be high-level, although he does believe that the G League being beneficial really depends on an individual player’s situation.
“If you’re on an older team with a lot of vets and a lot of older guys, the G League is a good opportunity for you to come down and get more reps, spend that time and get that high-quality reps that you need,” Scrubb said. “But if you have a younger core, younger team and you know there’s minutes in the rotation and you feel like you can crack the rotation, then go for it. I love the G League. I love being here, I love the establishment, I love it.”
This season Scrubb has already surpassed the total number of games he’s played in from his rookie year. Most of his minutes have come when the game has already been decided, but the Clippers have shown at least some sort of trust in him getting some playing time.
One of his better games of the season came on Nov. 13 in a blowout win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Scrubb finished with nine points on 4-5 shooting and two assists. He’s still a little ways away from any potential consistent rotation minutes and the Clippers coaching staff has identified what they want him to work on when he gets assigned to Agua Caliente.
As a second-year NBA player, Scrubb has worked on being a leader to the rookies in Brandon Boston Jr., Keon Johnson, and Jason Preston, especially when Boston and Johnson are down in the G League with him. Being a vocal leader is something Tyronn Lue and the staff want to see from him.
“Just playing hard night in and night out every play. They know my offensive tools, it’s not anything on the offensive end that needs to be worked on,” Scrubb said. “It’s just mainly the defensive end and picking things up. Not getting back-doored, rebounding and making sure I communicate. And being a leader knowing that I’m going into my second year and these guys are first year, just being that defensive vocal leader out there.”
A lot of finding success in the NBA comes from opportunity and fit. Even with some of the injuries the Clippers have had, they are still a veteran team that believes they can make the playoffs. There just isn’t much room for younger players to crack the rotation.
In the meantime, Scrubb will continue to get his reps in the G League, take advantage of whatever comes his way with the Clippers and keep staying ready for his name to be called. He’s hoping to become more familiar with the NBA game.
“Just to get that feel for the NBA, just going out there and being comfortable,” Scrubb said. “Knowing what spots I need to be in, knowing what’s a shot that I should take and knowing what’s a shot I should pass up. Just little things like that and being more comfortable.”
