Blazers Draft: Prospect profiles, current fits, future outlooks for Scoot, Miller

The 2023 NBA Draft is just around the corner. Anticipation is rising, especially in Portland, as there’s a crucial decision to be made for the future in this year’s Blazers draft.

All eyes are on the Blazers as they weigh their options and consider the two consensus prospects in the mix: Scoot Henderson, the explosive guard from the G League Ignite, and Brandon Miller, the versatile wing from Alabama.

This article goes in-depth into the profiles of both players, analyzing their skill sets and how they would fit into the Blazers’ roster. It also examines the implications of selecting either Henderson or Miller.

Scoot Henderson NBA draft scouting report

At 19 years old, 6-foot-2 guard Scoot Henderson is a rising star with immense potential. In 19 games with the G League Ignite last season, Henderson averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 3.5 turnovers per game, showcasing his ability to contribute in multiple facets.

Scoot needs to improve his efficiency, as he had shooting splits of 43 percent from the field, 28 percent from beyond the arc, and 76 percent from the free-throw line.

However, he was impressive during the Showcase Cup, displaying his All-Star potential. In six games, Scoot averaged 21.2 points, 6.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 2.8 turnovers per game with impressive splits of 48/47/71.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor has player comparisons to “shades of Russell Westbrook and Collin Sexton,” calling the dynamic guard a “great athlete who wants to bury his opponents with ferocious dunks, plus he has all the skills to lead an offense.”

Simply put, it’s evident that Henderson “has that dog in him.”

In addition to Westbrook and Sexton, some other guards his game is reminiscent of include Ja Morant and Derrick Rose. He has that fearless, downhill, attacking style of play. With his ability to drive and either finish at the rim or get teammates involved, it’s easy to see how Henderson will thrive in the NBA with the pace and floor spacing.

Defensively, Henderson’s agility and physical build allow him to be a pesky defender that should be impactful on that side of the ball, but one concern is that teams will exploit his 6-foot-2 size and try to get him switched onto bigs to take advantage of the mismatch.

Offensively, Scoot’s weaknesses are his shooting and proneness to turnovers. Twenty-eight percent shooting from three could make him a liability for shrinking the floor and inefficiency in general.

Scoot’s best trait is also one of his worst traits as someone who sometimes drives with reckless abandon. Similar to Westbrook, he’s a player you’ll have to live and die by, sometimes with careless turnovers or over-aggression.

Nonetheless, Scott has progressed in the G League, particularly as an improving shooter. Given his elite athleticism, it’s easy to see his All-Star potential if he can continue improving in these aspects.

Brandon Miller NBA draft scouting report

Brandon Miller enters the NBA draft as a versatile and intriguing prospect. He showcased his skills and impact during his freshman year at Alabama, averaging 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game. His scoring ability is evident at 43 percent from the field, 38 percent from beyond the arc, and 86 percent from the free-throw line.

Combine that with Miller’s 6-foot-9 frame and defensive traits, and you have a consensus top-three pick.

Miller’s well-rounded game earned him accolades at Alabama, including second-team All-American, SEC Player of the Year, and SEC tournament MVP, further solidifying his status as a standout talent. With his versatile skill set and impressive resume, Miller is poised to make a significant impact at the next level.

O’Connor has Miller’s player comparisons as Paul George and Danny Granger as a “tall scorer with playmaking skills who can do everything on the court.”

Miller is 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. With his length, defense, and shooting, Miller is an ideal NBA archetype as someone you can plug and play who should immediately contribute to winning. Because of this, he also has a relatively safe floor, as it’s easy to see his game translate to being a starter in the NBA.

Miller has the player profile teams value as someone who is not only a three-and-D wing but can also create his own shot with his length and ball handling, similar to George and Granger.

Defensively, he’d give any team more size and versatility with his ability to guard multiple positions. However, one knock on Miller that somewhat limits his superstar potential is his athleticism. Miller isn’t an elite athlete – he needs to improve his strength and agility to become an exceptionally versatile player who can keep up with guards and not get pushed around by bigs.

It would also help him offensively in terms of creating his own shot and being a star player who can be relied on to make plays for himself and others. If he doesn’t improve in this area, Miller could be an elite role player who could contribute as a third or fourth guy on a great team, which is still a coveted role for almost every team in the league.

Scoot Henderson’s immediate impact on Blazers

Assuming the rest of the roster remains intact, selecting Henderson would pose a challenge for Portland and head coach Chauncey Billups. The potential trio of Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Henderson raises concerns about their size and overlapping skill sets, exacerbating an issue that existed before Henderson entered the equation.

However, Scoot doesn’t seem too concerned about the potential fit issues:

If this were the scenario, Henderson could come off the bench alongside another potential star in Shaedon Sharpe. This would give the team plenty of athleticism and talent off the bench, which wasn’t the case for Billups last year. Henderson would likely take on point guard duties when he’s in for Lillard; this would take the playmaking pressure off of Simons, who previously has had to fill in as the primary ballhandler.

Scoot would be a great sparkplug off the bench with his relentless style of play. It’s an exciting potential backcourt with four excellent players – two elite shooters and two promising prospects with exceptional athleticism.

While size would certainly be a concern, the combination of shooting and athleticism between the players could complement each other well on offense. Billups would have plenty of talented guards to work with.

The main issue here is that drafting Scoot wouldn’t solve any of the Blazers’ existing problems: a lack of two-way wings and bigs. They would have to spend the rest of the offseason addressing the issues, which could be complex with their limited cap flexibility.

Brandon Miller’s immediate impact on Blazers

Given the current roster, Miller would be a much more seamless fit for Portland. He would likely slide in as the other starting forward to play alongside Jerami Grant if the Blazers can retain him in free agency.

The need for a versatile forward is atop the Blazers’ priority list this offseason, and Miller would immediately solve that problem. Wing depth would still need to be addressed, but Miller could be a day-one starter for Portland. He’d be a great floor spacer for others to operate.

Additionally, he could be relied on as a third or fourth go-to scorer who can help take some of the burdens off Lillard. Defensively, one area that Miller could help the Blazers with is rebounding. His 8.2 rebounds per game would be a massive boost for the Blazers since Grant isn’t a great rebounder. He averaged 4.5 boards last season.

Miller’s versatility is the other aspect that the Blazers desperately need. With Lillard, Simons, and Nurkic, the Blazers have too many players incapable of guarding multiple positions. Miller would be a tremendous defensive addition to help fix that.

Scoot Henderson’s future impact on Blazers

As mentioned, Henderson’s fit in the short-term is murky if he lands in Portland. The team will have an excessive number of talented yet undersized guards. In addition, they will still have roster weaknesses to fix at the forward and center positions.  As a result, one of the Blazers’ guards could be the odd man out if Henderson is selected.

Lillard’s situation regarding the draft and his desire to trade the No. 3 pick for veteran talent appears less black-and-white than some have made it out to be. In other words, there is still a scenario in which Lillard and Henderson remain on the roster and Lillard doesn’t demand a trade if the Blazers keep the pick.

In that case, Simons could be the odd man out.

One attractive option would be to trade Simons and the No. 23 pick for a player who would help address Portland’s needs better. A few centers who seem viable options and would be better fits include Myles Turner, Deandre Ayton, or Clint Capela. In terms of wings, Brooklyn is the most intriguing trade partner with many wings, including Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’ Neale.

Trading Simons would clear the log jam of guards. Scoot could be an excellent sixth man that still plays significant minutes off the bench and provides plenty of energy. Sharpe proved at the end of last season that he’s ready to take on a more prominent role, too, and seems prepared to step up as a starter if needed.

Long term, the Blazers would have a clear-cut future backcourt in Henderson and Sharpe. That could be the most explosive guard duo in the entire NBA. Lillard would be able to transition into more of a role player, as he likely will be able to play late into his career given his elite shooting.

If the Blazers can package Simons in part of a deal for a versatile wing or center and re-sign Grant, they’d only have one positional need left to fill.

Brandon Miller’s future impact on Blazers

Much like Miller’s short-term impact, his long-term outlook for the Blazers is much simpler to project than Henderson’s. A trade likely wouldn’t even be necessary as long as Lillard is content.

Assuming Sharpe continues on his All-Star trajectory, Portland could roll out a backcourt of Lillard and Sharpe with Simons coming off the bench (and still getting significant minutes) in a sixth-man role. Simons is a combo guard who has an ideal skill set to fill in for both Lillard and Sharpe. As Lillard ages, Simons could also take on the starting point guard role.

If Portland can re-sign Grant, it could have a future starting lineup of Lillard, Sharpe, Miller, Grant, and Nurkic. The next thing on the to-do list would be to replace Nurkic with a switchable big.

However, that lineup is intriguing, with a great combination of shooting, athleticism, size, and untapped potential between Sharpe, Miller, and Simons coming off the bench.

Follow along with our live Blazers draft coverage, including the latest intel, rumors and mock draft possibilities, updated throughout the day here.

Barring any significant changes, Scoot Henderson seems to be the projected selection for the Blazers (as of now). Regardless, it’s exciting that the Blazers have the No. 3 pick in a draft in which there is a consensus top three.