In 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers were just one lottery ball away from landing a generational prospect in Victor Wembanyama. Instead, they wound up falling to the No. 3 overall pick, where the consensus was that they'd take whoever remains between Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson.
With Miller going No. 2 to the Charlotte Hornets, the Blazers were believed to have gotten a promising consolation prize and their point guard of the future. Three seasons later, it unfortunately still remains to be seen if that's the case.
Not only is Scoot just 21 years old and still adjusting to the most challenging position in the NBA, but he's also not had the opportunity to prove himself as he remains sidelined with a hamstring injury that keeps dragging on. However, what is apparent is that Henderson was not the right pick for Portland.
The Scoot Henderson pick set back Portland's rebuild
What appeared to be a clear-cut decision at the time is actually setting back the franchise's rebuild. In retrospect, the ideal pick would've been Amen Thompson, a two-way guard who went to the Houston Rockets just one pick later.
It's not just Amen either. His twin brother, Ausar, is already playing a key role for the Detroit Pistons and contributing to the team's success as they surprisingly sit atop the Eastern Conference. With their positional size, elite athleticism, and unique skill sets, either twin would've significantly helped the Blazers get back to the postseason.
Portland has tried to establish a defensive identity over the summer, but that has not come to fruition as they rank just 20th in defensive rating (116.3). Having one of those twins would've done wonders for becoming the elite defensive team they envision.
Who could the Blazers have drafted instead?
Besides the Thompson twins, two guards that are already breaking out on their respective teams are Utah's Keyonte George and Orlando's Anthony Black.
George was originally the No. 16 pick out of Baylor and is a strong candidate to win Most Improved Player of the Year. He's averaging 24.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on 46/37/90 shooting splits. He's also a 22-year-old guard, so the argument that we should be patient with guards' development doesn't really hold here. The reality is, Blazers fans would be absolutely thrilled if Henderson averaged those numbers at any point throughout his entire career.
After the twins and George, the re-draft debate becomes much more subjective because it's hard to fully predict Henderson's career trajectory. But at this point, one could make a case for Black, the original No. 6 overall selection.
Black has taken tremendous strides in Year 3, averaging 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals on 46/35/70 shooting splits. With his positional size as a 6-foot-7 guard, there's arguably more two-way upside here compared to Henderson. Those two guards likely fall in the same tier, but it shows how much Scoot's stock has fallen since entering the league as a can't-miss prospect.
Hopefully, Henderson is able to return from his hamstring injury relatively soon, as the other prospects in this class continue to pass him by. The Thompson twins were obvious after just their rookie season, but now these other guards are having these breakouts that Blazers fans are still eagerly waiting on from Scoot.