No. 4: Houston Rockets select Scoot Henderson
Original pick: Amen Thompson
In this scenario, the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers swap picks, with the Rockets ending up with Scoot Henderson at No. 4. Although Henderson had an up-and-down rookie season that was relatively disappointing, he only fell one spot in the re-draft a year later.
One factor is that Henderson would fit nicely with the Rockets' roster. Houston has an established starting point guard in Fred VanVleet, providing Henderson more time to adjust to the pace of play in the NBA. The Blazers theoretically had a similar situation to the Rockets, with Malcolm Brogdon and Anfernee Simons. Unfortunately, they were significantly hindered by injuries, causing Henderson to get thrown into the fire and take on lead guard responsibilities probably earlier than he should have been.
As a result, Henderson significantly struggled with turnovers (3.4 per game) and efficiency (38.5 field goal percentage) in his rookie season. However, there were still some promising flashes in his up-and-down season. Henderson's raw numbers were great for a rookie, averaging 14 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. He also showcased his athleticism, playmaking, and downhill attacking that made him a top-three pick in the first place.
It is called a way-too-early re-draft, primarily for players like Scoot Henderson; it is still challenging to gauge how productive of an NBA career he will have, with a wide range of outcomes. Henderson should improve his turnovers and decision-making as he gains more experience in the NBA. But if he can't improve his shooting efficiency in the paint and beyond the arc, it will be hard for Scoot to return his draft value.
However, with still one of the highest upsides in the draft class, the Rockets can't pass up the possibility of finding their long-term point guard in Henderson at No. 4.