Retro Scouting Report: Royce White

A look back at one of the best prospects who never was

When we set out on our retro scouting report series this summer, we aimed to look back at some prospects that we missed on. Our goal was to find lessons we could learn from prior drafts now that the prospects once scouted have seen their careers mold with more certainty. From there, we could apply those lessons moving forward.

The last entry of our series is a bit of a different take. A “what if” musing, we dive into Iowa State Cyclones athlete Royce White, the 6’8”, 270-pound do-it-all player who helped Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones rise to prominence in 2012. White was seen as an outside-the-box player, a non-shooter who was slightly too small to play center and not quite quick enough to blow past every wing in the NBA. Regardless, there was a productive player in there with elite feel, playmaking from any spot on the floor and a knack for scoring at the rim.

While there were areas of his game to fix (namely shooting), the off-court issues plagued White prior to the draft. He was a transfer from Minnesota, a school he departed after getting caught stealing a laptop. White had issues with flying, a worry in the NBA where cross-country flights are the norm on a weekly basis. A vocal advocate for mental health policies and reform from the league before he entered it, White was ostracized by many or, at the very least, seen as a distraction and risk who might not warrant all that goes into making him comfortable.

Those issues were well documented, both prior to the draft and after White was drafted 16th overall by the Houston Rockets. The hope always was that White could figure out how to best handle his mental roadblocks and find a way to be a productive member of an NBA franchise.

We were immense fans of Royce’s game. He played the point center role and was a combination of Draymond Green and Nikola Jokic on offense: sharp, high-IQ passing combined with a brutish strength to his game. He showed high processing speed, loved to mismatch bully guys inside, was a thrill in transition and found every open cutter or teammate at the rim.

When all was said and done, White played nine minutes in the NBA and never scored a point. Those mental health hurdles and sharp dissent with the Houston Rockets franchise derailed a career before it could start. He found a home playing professionally in Canada before switching to MMA, and is now spending time as an outspoken mental health and political voice in his native Minnesota.

What lessons can we learn about White? Sadly, none. We will likely never encounter another person like Royce, even if we see a player reminiscent to his style. Rolls Royce was one of a kind, and the scouting matchup in the NCAA Tournament between Iowa State and Kentucky (featuring Anthony Davis) remains one of the most enjoyable watches we ever had. Royce put up 23 points (9-12 FG), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block in 34 minutes before fouling out. Kentucky won fairly convincingly, but seeing Davis and White go head-to-head gave hope that Royce could be a major impact player at the next level.

Oh, what could have been.