A Scout’s Take: An In-Person Perspective on Judah Mintz Versus Virginia

Judah Mintz entered the season as a sneaky one-and-done candidate. He remains on track with what has been an ACC Freshman of the Year type of season with averages of: 15.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals while shooting 44% from the field and 20% from three (30 attempts) through 16 games.

After getting a chance to scout him in person as a middle schooler and a high schooler, this matchup against UVA was my first time seeing him in person on the collegiate level. Let’s take a look at a few of my key takeaways from his road performance.

Statline: 18 points (7-of-14 shooting), 4 rebounds, 3 assists (4 turnovers) and 1 steal in 35 minutes

Intangibles Matter

Being able to scout prospects in person is crucial to gaining an understanding of some of their on and off court intangibles. You’re often able to observe moments, interactions and conversations that the cameras don’t catch at all or in its entirety. From pre-game to the end of the game, I was impressed with Mintz’s intangible qualities.

During pre-game warm-ups, there was just a good vibe and energy around him. He laughed and danced with teammates during their pre-game drills while still being diligent with his work. Mintz and Copeland especially had each other laughing throughout their stretch routines. As soon as Mintz completed stretching, he immediately popped up and threw down an easy two hand dunk-showing a glimpse of his quick twitch athleticism.

A little pre-game work from Judah Mintz. The 6’3 freshman continues to trend towards one and done with his self creation, shot making, defensive playmaking and growth as a PG.

Terrific opportunity to add to his resume against a tough UVA defense pic.twitter.com/bE9tTghwWL
— Jam Hines (@jamontheboards) January 7, 2023

Mintz must have led the game in high/low fives and I absolutely loved it. It reminded me of Steve Nash’s famous reputation of constant high fives and positive support actions with his teammates per game.

On both good and bad plays, it seemed like Mintz was always there to support a teammate. There was a moment where Mintz came over to Joe Girard III, who had been struggling throughout the game and just airballed, and gave him a high five and a little embrace. Here, Maliq Brown is fouled at the rim and Mintz is the first one to be there to help him up, all the way from the 3-point line. Just awesome and encouraging signs from him as a teammate, leader and point guard.

Innate Shotmaking

Ever since I first saw Mintz play as a middle schooler, he showcased a natural feel for shotmaking, particularly on tough shots. This innate ability proved true throughout his high school career and has translated to the collegiate level so far, which bodes well for translating to the NBA.

Mintz is excellent at utilizing his mix of burst, wiry strength, balance and touch to score from multiple levels. He did it at the rim and in his patented mid-range area against UVA.

He’s still more of a high-level shotmaker as opposed to shooter, which is evident by his 20% 3-point mark and his only attempted three of the game being a made relocation catch-and-shoot three. The level of shooter he needs to be in conjunction with his shotmaking is a significant swing factor to consider.

Steady Floor Game Strides

Coming into the season, outside of improving as a 3-point shooter, Mintz’s floor game and playmaking for others were and still are key swing skills. One of the reasons Syracuse has been a great fit for him is because they are allowing him to play through mistakes, learn, grow and apply those lessons learned.

He’s shown steady growth throughout the year and had his moments in this one. On that note, a few plays stood out.

Mintz makes the right read out of the pick-and-roll, but just delivers an inaccurate pass. He’s clearly upset about it. It’s an easy play that he missed and will make many more times than not.

Here, in semi-transition, Mintz finds Edwards cutting just as Gardner turns his head. Edwards is unable to get a shot attempt and gets it back out to Mintz, who is patient and looks to facilitate a quality possession for Syracuse. The possession leads to a Taylor jumper because of Mintz’s floor game.

On this one, Mintz is poised against Shedrick’s hedge then picks up the assist by finding Bell on the weak side for a catch-and-shoot three. This came after Mintz forced a contested shot on a drive a couple of possessions prior.

Overall, I liked the way he found the balance of scoring and keeping the ball flowing. The hope is that Mintz develops into the point guard role on the next level or at least capable playmaker to complement his scoring prowess.

Zone Moments

Evaluating players that play in a zone can be a tricky task because we aren’t seeing that easy direct man-to-man-translation to the NBA level. It takes a bit more of projection, but that’s a part of the art of scouting. Not everyone can be Mattise Tybulle where his blend of length and defensive playmaking was so overwhelming that it left no doubt about translating to the NBA.

What I usually see from Mintz defensively on TV in the zone held true. Mintz was very active in the zone, looking to utilize his length and quickness to disrupt passing lanes and shooters. He had several solid high-hand closeouts, forcing offensive players to shoot over. I haven't been worried about him transitioning to man-to-man defense because his physical tools and “want to” appear to be there.

Conclusion

I have Mintz with a late first/early second round grade right now. The only reason I don’t have him firmly as a first rounder is because of his 20% 3-point mark. Teams want to see that percentage improve of course, but Mintz offers intriguing value as a shot creator and shotmaker with defensive and playmaking upside.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.