Pacers hire Scott Simpson as advance scout
Pacers hire Scott Simpson as advance scout
He's a Zionsville, Ind. native and spent the last two seasons with the Mad Ants.
LAS VEGAS — The Pacers have hired Scott Simpson as the advance scout, Fieldhouse Files has learned.
Arguably the most taxing job on NBA teams, an advance scout is on the road over 200 days a year, flying commercial and attending games to record opponents’ sets, play calls and anything else that can inform the coaching staff. A report is sent to the assistant coach with the scout about a week ahead of time, and then the coach prepares the team for what to expect.
Simpson is an in-house promotion. He spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League.
From Zionsville, Ind., Simpson previously served as an advance scout for the Knicks (2014-18), the Thunder (2009-2014) and USA Basketball (2013-16). He also was an assistant coach for the Long Island Nets (2018-19) for one season before joining the Mad Ants.
Gary Schmidt was in the position this past season. And before that, Jimmy Powell handled those responsibilities for 21 years. He retired prior to this past season.
What goes into being an advance scout? Listen to my conversation with Powell.