After being selected third overall in the 2023 NBA draft, Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson is confident that he’ll have a big rookie season in Portland.
“My goal, obviously, is to win Rookie of the Year,” Henderson told Playmaker (YouTube link). “And I will win Rookie of the Year. … My goals for the season are to help win a lot of games, to embrace the position I’m in, to embrace my role on the team, to be a great listener, and watching film and applying it to the next game.”
Henderson’s assertion that he’ll be the 2023/24 Rookie of the Year is just one of the lofty goals he expressed during the Playmaker interview. He also said he wants to eventually “be remembered as the best point guard to ever play the game.”
Henderson’s professional career got off to a promising start at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he put up 15 points, six assists, and five rebounds in just 21 minutes before exiting the Trail Blazers’ first game due to a shoulder injury. There’s no indication that he won’t be fully healthy by the time training camp begins this fall.
Still, before he begins chasing his most ambitious career goals, Henderson may have to achieve a more modest one: cracking Portland’s starting lineup. Even if Damian Lillard is traded, Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe appear to be the favorites to open the season as the starters in the Blazers’ backcourt, a league source tells Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.
Of course, Henderson figures to have a major role even if he’s coming off the bench, and it’s possible he’ll show enough this fall that it will be impossible for the club to keep him out of its starting five.
Henderson also figures to face stiff competition in the ’23/24 Rookie of the Year race. The betting favorite is No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, while last year’s No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren is also considered a strong contender for the award.
If the Blazers are dumb enough to not play Scoot as the starting PG, they deserve every bad thing that comes their way. I’m sorry, but really? Sharpe is big and athletic enough to play the 3. Play all three at once. Are they so committed to Thybulle as a starter that they’ll hamper the growth of their top prospect they sacrificed the face of their franchise for?
It won’t be easy for Henderson to beat Wembanyama’s 174 PPG/ 110 RPG / 83 AST/ 32 STL while sweeping all Player of the Month as well as Season MVP and Finals MVP awards on his way to winning the unbeaten Spurs’ first NBA championship in a decade.
Maybe the NBA should create a separate award category during Wembanyama’s upcoming 30 year MVP and championship reign. While Victor wins “The Wemby” for the greatest athlete to ever grace this planet, the “Thanks for Playing” trophy replaces the former MVP award, serving as consolation honors.
Stop hating on Wemby, you didn’t even give him credit for averaging 100 blocks per 100 possessions.
Sorry, my bad. I’m still fascinated by the announcement that Wembanyama intends to visit Mars on an off-day in his self-built rocket ship, in order to walk the surface without wearing a space suit.
Wait till Jerry West finds out the logo will be just a silhouette of Wemby’s right arm from ball to shoulder.
It’s a toss up between Micic and Bates.
thats a great quote by a great kid. it still may be victor as well though
I got Holmgren.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he does.. if it weren’t for Victor Wembenyama he probably would’ve been the #1 pick. This reminds me of Michael Jordan. MJ was the #3 pick in 1984. Hakeem Olajuwon was the #1 pick followed by the infamous Sam Bowie, Portland fans.. I know you all want that back. MJ won the ROY award. Hakeem was the can’t miss guy in everyone’s eyes. Rightfully so he was awesome! Then MJ fell to third and had that chip on his shoulder. Scoot has that chip now.