Ian Schieffelin Scouting Report
After PJ Hall and Hunter Tyson, Clemson can make it three NBA guys in a row with Schieffelin. What's the NBA appeal? What will his role be at the next level? Find out below.
Introduction
The Atlanta, GA-born Schieffelin was a three-star recruit who committed to Coach Brownell a year before he enrolled on campus. He started to make a name for himself during his sophomore year, where he helped his school get to a 25-4 record and a Region 8-AAAAAAA championship. On top of that, he finished his high school career while averaging a double-double, while the program ranked tenth nationally.
He gradually improved his body and physicality in the interior throughout his collegiate career. Schieffelin won AAC Most Improved Player as a junior, after starting in all of Clemson’s 36 minutes last year. He’s the second commander-in-chief for the Tigers alongside Chase Hunter. While coming off an Elite Eight appearance, expectations are naturally high in South Carolina.
The intrigue for the NBA increased after he had shown comfort in stretching the floor alongside his physicality in the interior. That’s one of the aspects he has to show while being a top-two option for Clemson in his senior year. The emphasis of this scouting report will fully be on the role he’ll have in the NBA.
Physical Profile
At 6-foot-8, Schieffelin is one of the strongest forwards in college basketball. While weighing 240 pounds, he has an incredibly well-filled frame and broad shoulders. The physicality is where he leaves his mark on the game, as teams are forced to double and eliminate his threat in the post. He has a consistent motor while showing quick foot speed. That helps him to effectively guard outside of the paint.
The other side of the coin is that he’s not a good vertical athlete. However, he’s mastered his body well, as he found a way to use his physicality effectively to win box-outs in the paint. That makes him a good rebounder, with the physical aspect being the translatable part for the next level.
Schieffelin is improving his defensive footwork. And that’s a must to be able to play in more roles than an undersized five. The physical aspect makes up for a lot, but missing a few inches of size could hurt him against taller NBA athletes, forcing Schieffelin to not fully bank on his status as a five at the next level.
Offense
Passing
In the NBA, the most vital role the modern four and five have is to serve as a hub while being able to distribute the basketball and make plays for others. Pace, motion, and ball movement control everything. With more teams experimenting with four, or even five-out offenses, the physical presence inside the paint, who shows that he can handle and pass is what successful NBA offenses build their team around.
Schieffelin’s biggest value for Clemson is that he’s physically stronger than most of his opponents, forcing teams to send help early, thus opening a gap for Schieffelin to exploit to collapse the defense. He’s an active cutter who communicates well by getting himself open. He shows enough flashes of quick decision-making, as shown in the first play below, where his hip fluidity stands out with the spin before delivering the bounce pass to the backdoor cutter from the corner.
Another strong part of his passing game is the ability to use his footwork to keep attention from off-ball defenders to himself. He’s pivoting well with his left, using jab steps to sell a drive to the rim, while he’s staying patient and composed to find the cutter after Clemson successfully ran the five-out sequence in the second play below. Schieffelin is a smart decision-maker, actively selling defense hand-offs and pass fakes to open up angles for cutters to exploit. In the third play below, he takes one dribble before faking the dropoff pass while going for the side pass to the elbow cutter instead.
Schieffelin has great court vision while showing good touch and accurate passing. At 174 assists to 105 turnovers throughout 101 games in his career, the numbers support the decision-making and positive impact of his playmaking. In the NBA, physicality will play a huge part in his success as a passer and playmaker. In the fourth play, he does well to post-up his man while keeping the ball out of reach and surveying the floor before delivering the open three-point attempt above the break. On top of that, he shows the good habit of immediately relocating to the rim, winning the positioning battle for the potential offensive rebound.
Catch-and-shoot
At 6-foot-8, Schieffelin lacks the true size to play as a five. That puts more emphasis on the importance of his three-point shooting. If he is a few inches taller, solely playing as a rim-dominant five would have given his NBA profile more body. Regardless, Schieffelin looks ready to leap as a shooter in his senior year. He shot 46.9% on 49 attempts in 36 games. That’s a small sample size, but looking at the shot process, the consistency immediately stood out. That makes it feasible that Schieffelin will show good returns on more volume.
In the first play below, Schieffelin shows his ability to stay on the perimeter and relocate in a smart way to the elbow. The great habit of not bringing the ball to his waist but keeping it high at the level of his chest makes it feasible he’s able to launch his shot quickly. He’s more than strong enough to not have to power up for the shot. He follows through his jumper well while showing a decent release point. The area of development is that he stretches his arms too far out, putting more pressure on his shoulders and elbows, which could raise durability issues throughout his career.
The advantage Schieffelin has is that opposing teams scheme to match his physicality inside the arc. Those matchups often play drop coverage. That will stay the same at the NBA level. This helps Schieffelin to pop to the perimeter effectively while keeping the ability to attack closeouts alive, which we will cover in the next segment. In this particular second play below, that led to the wide-open three above the break, nailing the banker three to make it a seven-point game.
Another area where Schieffelin’s decision-making and feel for the game are visible is in the third possession below, where he sees the post-up battle going on near the weak side, so he immediately popped out for the three, bailing out the ball handler who was hesitant to launch a doubtful entry pass to the big man far away from the paint. His quick trigger after the catch might need some work in the future, but the most vital part is that he’s getting these shots off comfortably. However, that comfort has to expand to when teams leave him wide-open, as seen in the fourth play below. Alabama was okay with giving away the wide-open three, rather than Schieffelin collapsing the defense by attacking the closeout, which was his plan while judging his body language. But that’s not a negative in this phase of his career, as it’s worth mentioning that Schieffelin took more threes as a junior than in his freshman and sophomore seasons combined. Once the volume increases, the level of comfort will adjust to it.
Catch-and-drive
As mentioned earlier, attacking closeouts will be an essential way for Schieffelin to find a part of his production in the NBA. Franchises always look to keep their offensive rating on par while not being able to give their top scorers too much usage and not make them more vulnerable to rival teams adjusting their defensive schemes to that. Long story short, Schieffelin’s self-creation ability needs some work during his senior year, and that’s where a part of his draft stock will rely upon.
In the first play below, Schieffelin pivots his right foot very well before he catches the ball. He doesn’t have a good burst, but his footwork helps him to elevate his first step and immediately puts him in a good position to be physical with two feet inside the paint. He has excellent touch near the basket, finishing 70.6% of his 119 attempts near the basket. The baby hook from the low post is another move he’s actively using. In the second play below, Schieffelin pivoted his right foot well but was out of balance before the drive with the five-man dropping to the mid-post, it was clear Schieffelin wanted to dish the pass, but lost his balance in the post-up, leading to the sloppy turnover. No red flags at all, but it's a sign of his lack of creativity when he doesn’t get the paint touches he needs to score.
In the third play below, there’s a positive and a negative to mention. The positive part is that Schieffelin is so strong, that he’ll find a way to get two feet inside the paint and a decent to good scoring angle. The negative part is that he’s forcing his shots more often than not when he’s creating his own. With the two guards at both elbows relocating and cutting, using his created advantage by pushing the opposing five underneath the basket had to result in a kick-out pass, rather than finishing against the taller five underneath the basket, while not fully establishing balance before the layup attempt.
The floater game could be a game-changer for Schieffelin. In the last play below, we see him time his shot-fake excellently, following up with the drive through the middle and a good release on his floater. He gets the friendly bounce, but regardless, the touch, footwork, and shot selection are there to be more creative with his floaters on an NBA floor, where he will get more of these opportunities while playing in four, or even five-out concepts.
Cutting
Playing as a cutter is a must-have to succeed as a four or a five in the NBA. As previously mentioned, Schieffelin has a great feel for the game while making good decisions. That’s the base for his game as a cutter. He’s been taught the game very well by his coaches earlier. That’s a given. His decision-making to cut always has him responding to gaps the defense gives him. And that’s what it’s all about.
In the first play below, the defense collapses, forcing the opposing five to rotate, whereafter Schieffelin can position himself well underneath the basket for the guard’s drop-off pass. His tunnel vision to finish around three defenders was not the best decision, even if the ball went in. Regardless, his ability to recognize his assignment rotating made that a two-point play with the ease of the guard simply dropping the ball off.
In the second play, Schieffelin’s teammate gets in trouble despite having two feet inside the paint whereafter he relocates to remain in his guard’s sight to bail him out. After that, the physicality and finishing prowess were put on display before the finish. That’s a good play in the context of not every NBA offensive scheme working to perfection, and making a team’s ball handler and decision-maker life easy is a big part of what makes a good complementary piece potentially a great one.
We see a similar play in the third possession below, where Schieffelin relocates in a way where he makes the dropoff pass as easy as possible. And that’s what NBA decision-makers will love about him. The fourth play is the best example. With five seconds left, the Clemson offense runs dry, but Schieffelin relocating to demand the bail-out entry pass and showing the ability to make something out of nothing while being in a complementary role is exactly what NBA teams look for.
Defense
Pick-and-roll
Schieffelin has the tools to serve as a pick-and-roll defender at the next level. The most vital thing with bigs switching to the perimeter is that NBA franchises aren’t worried about what they give up on that end, but mostly what the mismatch in the interior eventually looks like. Therefore, it’s vital for modern NBA fours and fives to effectively go over the screen while sticking to a traditional drop coverage scheme.
When taking a higher-paced NBA game compared to college into account, transition plays with drag screens are vital as well. That’s where the first play stands out. Schieffelin slides his feet well. He’s not quick enough to consistently guard against smaller guards who look to generate paint touches. An important detail is that he reacted well to the jab step by not losing his balance, eventually punishing the ball handler for not beating him off the dribble with a hard hand in the face before the shot.
We see a similar outing in the second play below, where Schieffelin does well to not get baited by going over the screen, purely reacting to what the ball handler does while taking a “come, beat me off the dribble” type of approach. His quick feet are half of the effective defense, as Schieffelin rarely bites on shot-fakes or jab steps.
The third play is an interesting one. Schieffelin ends up leaving his assignment, following his instincts to rotate. But this mistake is not a risk for the future. After the double-stagger, naturally, the ball handler has to adjust to the elbow, where Schieffelin correctly filled in his lane, but a lack of rotations from teammates led to him giving up the open three. An NBA decision-maker will grade this as a positive play regardless. However, in the last play below, Schieffelin should have seen the guard rejecting the ball screen coming. The pivot foot was set on the right, with the ball handler leaning toward the weak side, but Schieffelin still decided to tag the screener, giving up a straight driving line. For the NBA, these types of mistakes are fixable. The feel for the game Schieffelin has as a decision-maker, with decent to good execution makes him a capable pick-and-roll defender for the next level.
Catch-and-drive
For an NBA defender, closing out to the perimeter is vital. That solidifies everything about how much impact a player can have on a defensive rating. The game shifted to ball handlers and decision-makers in every position. So naturally, everyone has to be able to dribble, pass and shoot. So for a team, the basic principles of effective closeouts are building blocks for a sustainable defensive rating.
And Schieffelin passes the test. In the first play below, the offensive sets lead to a bailout pass to the perimeter, where he strongly pivots his right foot while moving his body a bit to the front to safely catch the bump while maintaining balance. More importantly, Schieffelin forces the defender to the weak side, with no options to drop the pass off to, thus a drive to the lane being the only option. Schieffelin is very good at forcing ball handlers to make decisions they don’t want to make. And his footwork is the main reason why.
In the second play, Schieffelin was late to close out to the corner. However, he impressively maintained his balance while showing good hip flexibility to answer the straight-line drive to the basket. The area of development is that Schieffelin didn’t fill his lane correctly after the lay-up, potentially giving up an offensive rebound by not properly boxing out for the rebound. However, in the heat of the moment and the pace of the game, those situations can arise on an NBA floor. But for Schieffelin, it’s vital to limit these, as he has a target on his back for NBA guards looking to exploit mismatches, with NBA offenses ready to crash the offensive glass for a potential miss.
The third play below is another area of development. Schiefflin didn’t force the ball handler to drive into the strong side by closing out at 180 degrees. Instead, he opened up the weak side, with no help defenders in sight. Instincts matter here, and sometimes it is better to be a tad too late in a closeout, but properly keep lanes closed rather than rush a closeout and get burned by allowing a wide-open driving lane. The fourth play is an example of good execution, regardless of the two points allowed. Schieffelin forced the lane he could cover in the best way while being physical until the basket. He’s a decent to good closeout defender, but the above-mentioned areas need work during his senior year at Clemson.
Catch-and-shoot
At times, it’s as cliche as “you can’t teach effort”. That thought immediately arises when I see Schieffelin close out to spot-up shooters. Despite the lack of burst and a quick first step, he accelerates well, using his length well by fully committing to the shot contest. That’s what you need to earn gravity and respect from opponents, while the impact of closing out rather than giving up on a play always results in extra misses. The first play below is a good example. However, his getting backdoored by getting caught ball-watching is worth monitoring for his senior year.
The second play is a vital one. Schieffelin does well to go over the screen to stop the potential handoff whereafter he can focus on returning to his original assignment while following him above the break. That helped Schieffelin to follow the play much better while being quicker to close out to the shooter at the elbow. For the NBA, the hip fluidity combined with footwork helps him to cover some extra space when guarding against shooters. Alabama’s excellent floor spacing led to the wide-open elbow three, but an important detail was that Schieffelin contested the open three well by pivoting his right foot further out while using his upper-leg strength to elevate well off the ground.
The lack of true speed will naturally lead to Schieffelin struggling in a faster-paced NBA game with more ball movement. Regardless, he shows the footwork and effort to compensate for most of it.
Cutting
Schieffelin stands out as a team defender because he uses his physicality and strong frame very well. Especially when he’s defending inside the arc. He constantly tags opponents, not making it easy for them to relocate. Of course, a backdoor cut will be conceded now and then. That happens to the best defenders. The most essential part here is that he’s showing he’s in control. The first play is an example. Despite giving up the two points, he controls his assignment in the post well while showing fluid hips and quick reaction speed to rotate after the quick connecting pass after the entry pass landed in the mid-post.
However, at times he can get baited outside of the paint. After his assignment relocated to the corner, the best decision was to ignore that opponent while strengthening the interior and trusting the team defense to handle the rotations, especially since it was on the strong side. Instead, the backdoor cut from the weak, resulting in a wide-open layup at the rim, giving up an and-one opportunity.
The other side of the coin is that Schieffelin’s physicality often gets in his way. He averaged 2.6 personal fouls per 28 minutes per game. He’s in control, but most of the fouls were similar to the third possession below. Everything goes well, but he gets too physical near the rim. At the NBA level against the creative, crafty scorers, that puts a target on his back in terms of opposing scouting reports giving the assignment to scorers to chase him and trying to draw fouls.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Ian Schieffelin to be a lock for the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. He’ll be ready to contribute to a competing team right out of the gates.
Schieffelin has a niche role, where his craft, physicality, and decision-making will make him a serviceable combo forward to most franchises in the league. With the first round being long-term investments, teams will look to get early returns from Schieffelin, making his second-round selection more feasible.
Regardless, he’ll be ready to contribute off the bench, which gives tons of breathing room for competing franchises, where they can lock him at about 1.2% of the cap, which amounts to about $2 million per annum.
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