For months, Scooter Henderson is rightly considered in the pre-Draft projections as the probable future second choice of this Draft 2023, behind the French alien Victor Wembanyama, surely untouchable at the top of the hierarchy and therefore probable future player of the Spurs, winners of the ” lottery” tonight.
But for all that, Scoot Henderson is not to be considered as a simple consolation prize behind “Wemby”. Because with the exception of Zion Williamson in 2019 and therefore Victor Wembanyama this year, he is perhaps the most electrifying talent that the “scouting” sphere has observed in recent years. If the Hornets, second in the “lottery”, were indeed to choose him, they would get their hands on a cornerstone of their future.
Young talent with an atypical career since he joined Team Ignite in the G-League in 2021, even before the end of his high school course, he has been rubbing shoulders with professional players for two years now, and has progressed visibly between his first and second season in the NBA antechamber. In short: he’s ready for the next echelon.
Profile
Job : Game leader
Size : 1m92
Weight : 88 kilos
Crew : Team Ignite (G-League)
Stats 2022/23: 17.6 points (43% shooting), 5.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists
Strong points
– “NBA ready” physically. If he is ultimately not necessarily impressive at first glance by his measurements, quite “banal” for a leader in the NBA (1m92 for a little less than 90kg), Scoot Henderson is nonetheless an impressive athlete, absolutely ” NBA ready” to hold the shock physically. In particular thanks to a crazy wingspan for a player of his size (measured at 2m06), which will help him on both sides of the field in the NBA, but also and above all to a supersonic first step and crazy athletic qualities, which recall the best years on the physical plane of a Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook. A spring-loaded leader, capable of climbing to very high altitudes on just one or two steps, the boy has given us some stunning circle finishes over the past two seasons. In the NBA, he will have a blast in transition and on the half-court with the spaces he will benefit from to attack the circle, and it’s a safe bet that some circle protectors will very quickly be baptized…
– A palette of shots to the point. If he is currently above all a player who ends up in the circle, Scoot Henderson is not just a “nag” who rushes into the heap. With a shooting mechanism that is already very aesthetic and mechanically transposable to the NBA, he also knows how to punish with ease at mid-distance in particular, most of the time when leaving the screen. His good mastery of the angles of the board is also a strong point. All in all, the Georgia native is already a very comfortable scorer at two levels – at the circle and mid-range – and could become even more complete if he progresses behind the arc.
– A pure leader. XXL athlete with obvious gifts for “scoring” on the post of leader, Scoot Henderson does not forget for all that… to be a leader. A thoughtful player whose already significant basketball IQ will continue to improve with experience, he has approached 7 assists per game this season (but 3.4 ball losses), in a role of main ball carrier. At the higher level, with better “spacing” and “shotmaking” than in the G-League, it is this same role that he will play from the start. His beginnings will obviously be imperfect, as for any 19-year-old point guard who arrives in the NBA, but in the long term, by surrounding him correctly, a franchise can calmly build its attack around him.
Weak points
– The outside shot. This is for the moment the only big downside to his offensive game: only 27.5% success behind the arc this season, for almost 3 shots per game, after a first season concluded at only 17%… It’s too much little, in a league where outside shooting is sovereign. The good news is that the problem is not structural, since its shooting mechanics are very good, but rather relates to shot selection, which will improve over time in this area. It should also be kept in mind that he went in 2021, without transition, from the three-point line in “high school” to that of the NBA in the G-League, and that adaptation may therefore take time. Especially since it excels at mid-distance, and will undoubtedly be able to expand its “range” over time.
– bullet losses. Because if he has distributed nearly 7 passes per game this season, Scoot Henderson has also lost almost 4 balls per game. Because he likes to run and play fast, because he often attacks the circle and sometimes has to urgently opt for a “kick-out”, but also because he is only 19 years old. His “up-tempo” game is at risk, but his room for improvement is substantial. As he settles down with experience, his “playmaking” will gain in sobriety.
Comparison
For the ceiling level: between Russell Westbrook for athletic qualities in the point guard position, and Donovan Mitchell for the qualities of “shotmaking”. For the floor level: a Eric Bledsoe bigger and more developed offensively.
Prognosis
In the Top 3certainly a “lock” for the second choice in Charlotte, where he could very well coexist with LaMelo Ball at first.
