So the other day I was toying with some draft theories, strategies, and doing some scouting. While looking on forums such as Reddit, I have noticed how many people ask the same question: "How do I get into scouting?" There are so many guys who want to get into it but don't know where to start. Anyhow, I came up with this acronym thing: DRAFT. This isn't a comprehensive article on how to discover the next Giannis in any way. This is just one of many ways to scout prospects. I plan on using this for next year's draft cycle and I hope that you do to. Be prepared for more awesome scouting articles and tools to come out in the next year. Without further ado, I present to you, the future of scouting!

DRAFT

Discover:

Look into every possible draft eligible prospect and learn their name, age, size, position, etc. This should be a very brief introduction to each prospect. Don’t worry about watching film or learning about their game at this point. You should simply be learning the absolute basics about each player. It can be helpful to look at the Rivals high school rankings and just write every single player down. Speaking of, don’t assume that every high school star will pan out. Many don’t.

Rank:

Based off of your gut instincts and feelings create a loose ranking of every prospect. This is usually referred to as a big board and should be based only on your personal opinions, not the media’s. Don’t categorize players into super specific groups or try to generalize the players. Put them in the exact order that you would draft them if fit or team situation wasn’t a factor in any way.

Analyze:

This is where you actually figure out a prospect’s game and how they will fit into the NBA. This is the step where you should be watching as much film as possible and determining their strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes I have a player that I really love and go to rank him in the lottery, before realizing that he has like zero strengths. Similarly, you can go to rank a top prospect and realize that he has tons of flaws. Depending on a player’s age and physical stature, certain weaknesses can be overlooked. Make sure that you don’t become complacent however. Look into every single part of each player’s unique game. If you let online big boards and mock drafts determine your rankings, your perception of a player’s game will be completely skewed. Start changing your rankings as needed, but don’t feel like things won’t change.

Finalize:

At this stage you should really begin to complete your ranking of each player. This shouldn’t be done until right before the draft. Your ranking could include 30 prospects, or it could include 150 prospects. You can create a google document or use an online big board creator or write it down or whatever works for you. Do whatever you have time for, and please, don’t spend hours investing into watching film of guys who averaged like 2 points a game in college. Figure out who you personally think will end up being the best NBA players and rank them according to your thoughts and opinions. When you go to finalize your big board, do a brief check up on each prospect and make sure that you didn’t miss any huge concerns. You can be as simple or as in depth as you want with this stage. If you plan on sharing your big board with others, you can add player comparisons, team fits, or whatever other fun and interesting things you want. It can be super simple, but I do recommend that you add a short description of each player for future reference. When concocting these descriptions, online scouting reports can be super useful. Most will give you a concise list of each prospect’s strengths and weaknesses. Make sure that the film you watch lines up with what the scouting reports say. ALWAYS use more than one source. The biggest mistake you can make is going to one website every single time and agreeing with everything they say. Everyone will be wrong about things in the draft process. Be wrong about your own opinions instead of being wrong about another website’s opinions.

Talk:

This one is easy. Find another draft fan or even just an NBA fan and talk about the prospects. Conversing with somebody else and getting in friendly arguments will help you get out your true feelings of a prospect. Getting the opinions of others is really useful if you are unsure of where to rank a player. Don’t rely on other people, but use them as a tool. Every scout has a metaphorical draft toolbox. Make sure that you are equipped with every tool that you may need to fix a situation.