Rookie Portland Trail Blazers point guard Scoot Henderson began the season with great expectations. The 6’3″ former G League Ignite guard was selected by the Trail Blazers with the third pick in a stocked 2023 draft, and it was anticipated that he would compete for Rookie of the Year honors with No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, No. 2 pick Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets, and 2022 No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder (who essentially redshirted 2022-23 after getting injured ahead of the season).
Instead, he started off with more of a whimper than a bang, and by the time he started to right the ship and round into form on the court, Henderson was fully out of the running for top honors. Pretty much out of the gate, Holmgren and Wembanyama looked like fringe All-Star possibilities, and Wembanyama is now on the shortlist for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports has ranked Henderson as the No. 10-best rookie in her most recent list, following the finish of the 2023-24 regular season. Will he make the cut on one of the NBA’s two All-Rookie teams this year?
“The Trail Blazers are in rebuild mode and were patient with their point guard as he adjusted to the pace and spacing of the NBA,” Peek writes. “The future looks bright for Henderson if his final game of the season is any indication of the trajectory his career is going. He finished with 30 points and seven assists and scored in a number of ways. The two games prior to that, Henderson had double-doubles in points and assists, and he averaged 19.4 points and 9.7 assists in April.”
