Scoot Henderson came out like a man on a mission Tuesday night against the Metropolitans 92 and Victor Wembanyama — he was in attack mode. He used his explosive athleticism to get to the rim, his impressive body control to get off good shots, and his strength to finish with authority. And if the defender played back, he would drain the jumper over him.
Scoot Henderson has BIG TIME GAME!
— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2022
⚡️ 28 PTS | 5 REB | 9 AST pic.twitter.com/UZ0RiMznWs
A year ago, Jaylen Brown called him the best 17-year-old he’d ever seen. Scoot is better than that now.
Many years, Henderson would be a clear No.1 overall pick. But, not this year, Wembanyama has that crown because he breaks the mold with his size and skill set (in the NBA, height still wins out).
Kevin O’Conner of The Ringer asked Henderson why he should be the top prospect and got a confident answer.
“I can lead my team. I’m a vocal point guard. I’m gonna get stops on D.”
— RingerNBA (@ringernba) October 5, 2022
Scoot Henderson explains why he should be the no. 1 prospect to @KevinOConnorNBA. pic.twitter.com/FDCe5SzjnB
There will be a lot of people making the Henderson case this season — and with good reason. He could be a franchise cornerstone player for the next decade.
Henderson, however, is trying not to get hung up on No.1 vs. No.2.
Scoot Henderson on why he doesn’t feed into No. 1 vs. No. 2 talk with Victor Wembanyama: “I try to take nothing personal, actually. I read the book ‘The Four Agreements.’ I took that chapter and applied it to my life. … I don’t pay attention to that. I pay attention to winning.” pic.twitter.com/JYMlgllPTY
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 5, 2022
There’s a long list of legendary players selected No.2: Bill Russell, Kevin Durant, Jerry West, Jason Kidd, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Henderson can be one of them.
Unless Wembanyama’s medicals come back with red flags, he is destined to be the No.1 pick next June. That, however, will not be the end of Henderson’s story. Instead, it will be just the beginning.