1. Drafting Scoot Henderson
Murray and Rupert should be mentioned in any Trail Blazers 2023 NBA Draft discussion, but Scoot Henderson is a game-changer for the franchise in multiple ways. On a down note, the selection of Henderson may have put the final crack in Damian Lillard’s fractured relationship with the organization. On the flip side, by almost all accounts, Scoot projects to be a Rookie of the Year candidate and a future NBA superstar.
He’s fast, explosive, strong, can finish at the rim and has surprised coaches and players with his basketball IQ and ability to run an offense at 19 years old.
The biggest question surrounding Henderson during the draft process was his shooting. At least through three preseason games he’s changed that narrative, shooting nearly 36 percent from three on 4.7 attempts per game, and he has the work ethic to get better.
He also has the charisma and off-court presence an NBA team needs from its centerpiece.
Scoot looked like a can’t-miss prospect leading up to the draft and has only solidified that forecast during his first offseason and preseason in the NBA. He’s checked off so many boxes in fewer than four months and seems so advanced both on and off the court that it’s already becoming easy to forget he’s 19.