Hopes remain high for the No. 3 pick of the 2023 NBA draft, Scoot Henderson, and it's not just blind faith on behalf of a Portland Trail Blazers franchise that could really benefit from a stretch-run breakout. His defense is already coming alive, but the bar was just raised for his offensive output.
Alex Speer predicted Henderson's stat line moving forward, and the Blazers would be ecstatic if he hit it: 19 points, seven assists, and five-plus free-throw attempts per game with "improved efficiency, especially at the rim." The source of the numbers lands somewhere between an educated guess and a hunch, but Speer did mention Portland's easy schedule, the team's lack of offense, and Henderson's upcoming extension-eligibility as factors considered.
Hope is far from lost for Scoot Henderson.
The numbers tied to Speer's prediction don't really matter. Truth be told, Henderson's chances of having that kind of increase can't be great, since only nine players—all current or former All-Stars—are averaging at least 19 points, seven assists and five free-throw attempts, per StatHead Basketball.
The actual output isn't the focus, though. Rather, it's the general idea that stardom (or something close to it) could still be very much in the cards for Henderson.
Now, is there a super compelling reason to believe he's sitting on the launch pad and simply waiting for the basketball gods to start the countdown? Not really. He's had encouraging flashes here and there, but he has also, as most young players do, struggled with inconsistency.
But that's the first bullet point worth hitting: He is young. He just celebrated his 22nd birthday. He's almost two full years younger than Sacramento Kings freshman first-rounder Nique Clifford. Charlotte Hornets rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner is two years Henderson's senior, too.
So, the timeline alone is working in Henderson's favor, and that's before getting into the tools and talents that created so much of his draft buzz. He is a blur going end-to-end, and there's an incredible amount of strength packed into his 6'3" frame. He can burst around defenders and then barrel through them (or bounce over them) at the basket.
His challenge has always been a lack of polish, particularly with his jump-shooting and decision-making. Both remain works-in-progress. But in a rush-to-judgement age of talent evaluation, that in-progress part often gets conveniently left out of the conversation.
So, let's all remember to just include it, yeah? I mean, it sort of is just that simple. It's too early to tell how close Henderson will get to maxing out his potential (which remains sky-high, for the record), and that's fine. It's also fine to have wanted more growth in his game by this point, but the fact it hasn't really surfaced cements little, if anything, for his future trajectory.
Big hopes are still held for Henderson, and they aren't just held onto by the most optimistic members of the Blazers' fan base.