How NBA Scouts Evaluate Talent and What It Means for Players

As an NBA scout with over a decade of experience evaluating talent across multiple continents, I’ve always been fascinated by how certain qualities in athletes translate across different sports. Watching the upcoming International Series Philippines presented by BingoPlus, I can’t help but notice parallels between how we assess basketball prospects and what we’re seeing in golf’s rising stars like Kazuki Higa and Miguel Tabuena. When you break it down, talent evaluation is less about raw numbers and more about intangibles—something that becomes vividly clear whether you’re on the hardwood or the fairway.

Take Higa, for example. The guy just clinched back-to-back Asian Tour wins, which signals not just skill but remarkable consistency under pressure. In basketball, we look for that same clutch gene—players who elevate their performance when the stakes are highest. I remember scouting a point guard a few years back who averaged 24 points in regular-season college games but dropped 36 per game during March Madness. That’s the kind of mental toughness you can’t teach, and it’s exactly what separates good players from great ones. Similarly, Higa’s ability to perform consecutively at a high level tells me he’s built for moments that matter, much like the players we target in the draft who thrive in playoff atmospheres.

Then there’s the local hero factor. Miguel Tabuena playing in front of a home crowd at Sta. Elena Golf Club from October 23 to 26 adds another layer to the evaluation process. In the NBA, we pay close attention to how athletes handle environments where expectations are sky-high. I’ve seen talented prospects crumble under the weight of hometown pressure, while others—like a certain MVP I scouted early in his career—use it as fuel. Tabuena’s performance here will reveal volumes about his resilience and adaptability, traits we measure through advanced analytics like on-court efficiency in high-pressure games, where even a 5% drop can signal red flags.

The growing LIV Golf contingent joining the event reminds me of the influx of international players into the NBA over the past two decades. We’ve moved from a time when maybe 15% of draft picks were international to now, where it’s closer to 25%—a shift that’s forced scouts like me to broaden our horizons. Evaluating global talent requires understanding different styles of play and mental conditioning. For instance, European players often bring a team-first mindset that’s honed in professional leagues abroad, similar to how golfers from varied tours adapt their strategies. It’s why I spend at least 30% of my year traveling; you simply can’t gauge a player’s full potential from tape alone.

What does all this mean for players aspiring to make it big? From my perspective, it’s about mastering the blend of measurable skills and those elusive qualities like leadership and grit. In basketball, we track everything from vertical leap to shooting percentage, but I’ve passed on players with stellar stats who lacked the drive to improve. Conversely, I’ve advocated for draft picks based on their intangibles—like a forward I scouted who increased his free-throw accuracy from 68% to 85% in one offseason, showing a work ethic that numbers alone couldn’t capture. For golfers like Higa and Tabuena, and for any athlete reading this, remember: scouts are watching how you respond to adversity, how you evolve your game, and how you inspire those around you.

In the end, talent evaluation is as much an art as it is a science. Whether it’s the fairways of Manila or the courts of Madison Square Garden, the principles remain strikingly similar. As I look forward to the International Series this October, I’m reminded that the most exciting part of my job isn’t just identifying stars—it’s recognizing the human elements that make them unforgettable. And for players at any level, understanding that could be the key to unlocking your own potential.