Mike Schmitz Was Seriously Underutilized at ESPN

Mike Schmitz Was Seriously Underutilized at ESPN

Mike Schmitz was recently hired as the assistant GM for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was previously with ESPN as an NBA Draft analyst. Woj broke the news, specifically mentioning that Schmitz will continue to use his eye for talent in leading Portland’s scouting departments.

Schmitz produced a good amount of content for both ESPN and DraftExpress, the best of which may have been the one-one-one interviews did with prospects. These videos were always insightful, digestible, and refreshing to watch. It’s unfortunate that ESPN never gave Schmitz the shine he probably deserved as one of their best analysts across any sport.

Here’s an example of one of Schmitz’ interviews. This one is with LaMelo Ball ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft.

As evidenced here, Schmitz has a wonderful personality as an interviewer. Sometimes the players he talked to didn’t give him much to work with while breaking down film, but Schmitz always managed to keep the conversation going while providing the prospects with respectful feedback.

It really comes across in Schmitz’ work the amount of care and attention to detail he puts into everything he does. He’s a talented scout who is also very constructive in his interactions with players.

Losing Mike Schmitz is a big deal for ESPN. The network has never been consistently great at showcasing their top talents. They got wise with Mina Kimes and started throwing her into a bunch of shows, but for every Mina Kimes there is a Mike Schmitz whose talent is underutilized and underappreciated. Schmitz will likely continue to do excellent work in the Trail Blazers front office. ESPN should have recognized a good thing while they had it.

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