Victor Wembanyama is arguably the most hyped NBA draft prospect of all time. The immensity of his talent and potential are difficult to equate to any modern or past player in the league. You can read the first entry here, within our three-part analysis on where the talented Frenchman will likely be drafted. Wembanyama is not the only generational talent at the top of this draft class.
Sterling “Scoot” Henderson would have been ranked number one in many past NBA draft classes without much argument. Henderson is the youngest basketball player to turn professional in American history at seventeen. Henderson decided to utilize the G-League path in what would’ve been his senior year of high school in 2021 to compete with professional talent for the Ignite.
The 6’4” point guard has a comparable physical makeup to a prime Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook and possesses the athleticism and slashing speed of De’Aaron Fox or Ja Morant. Henderson is nightmare fuel for NBA defenses, especially once the guard develops a more consistent three-point shot. The playmaking intangibles are all present and the physical gifts are there for him to become a more complete defender as the Georgia product matures within the professional game.
Most NBA teams will not pass on drafting him with the opportunity this year. There are teams though like the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets who will finish towards the bottom of the league and already have talented young point guards.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are in desperate need of a playmaking point guard. The experiment with Kevin Porter Jr. playing as the main distributor for the Rockets needs to mercifully end. Porter Jr. needs to be shipped out for draft capital and/or young talent to reduce the redundancy between Jalen Green and himself. This may be a tough decision for the organization considering Green has not been efficient up to this point with the ball in his hands and plays poor defense.
The Rockets cannot continue to play with two high-usage trigger-happy guards on low efficiency and expect to compete in meaningful games in the NBA. Alperen Şengün is one of the few unselfish young talents on the Rockets but the team has yet to fully maximize his skillset as a talented passing big man with an assortment of low-post moves.
Şengün would pair well with Henderson in the pick-and-roll, especially if the guard develops, at worst, a league-average three-point shot. Şengün could also position himself in the high-post as a play initiator and utilize his passing abilities to set Henderson and Green up for dribble hand-offs and quick slashes to the rim.
Green’s ability to develop off-ball and play more efficient basketball overall will be the key to all of this. Henderson could absolutely help to facilitate that and take the ball out of Green’s hands to set him up for shots outside as well as rim-running opportunities. Henderson would be a no-brainer for the young squad if the Rockets end up landing the second pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
San Antonio Spurs
There are few young developing players that wouldn’t benefit from learning under head coach Gregg Popovich with his wealth of basketball knowledge and championship experience. The San Antonio Spurs have a handful of promising pieces in Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell.
Sochan is the Spurs’ most exciting piece with great length and speed for his age and size as well as already possessing a tremendous defensive acumen as a rookie. The rim-running and lob threats via the pick-and-roll that Sochan and Henderson could run would be scary to have to match up against. The dribble hand-off possibilities would likely develop over time as both players need to develop more reliable outside shots.
Johnson is currently the Spurs leading scorer and would benefit substantially from an explosive play-maker like Henderson on the floor. The threat of Henderson blowing by his defender in the pick-n-roll would already be present but the guard could kick it out to Johnson in the mid-range or dive towards the rim with the defenders focused on Henderson.
Vassell would certainly be a beneficiary of Henderson’s presence as the main ball-handler when he returns from his knee injury. Vassell was shooting 40% from behind the arc before his injury in early January. The Georgia product would see an endless amount of open looks from outside with Henderson slashing to the basket and drawing the presence of help defenders.
There isn’t a team that wouldn’t take a chance on drafting Henderson but the Spurs would fit well and could build around the speedy guard as time goes on.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic would potentially be the most exciting team of the three if they were able to land the second pick and take Henderson. The Magic have been playing better as of late and would have to nose dive in terms of production to potentially land the second pick. The Rockets, Hornets, Pistons and Spurs are all ferociously sailing in a race amongst the ruins. The Magic have some immediate promise with their current roster.
The Magic are spear-headed mainly by 2022’s number-one pick Paolo Banchero and forward Franz Wagner with a stable of propitious big men. The pick-and-roll opportunities with Banchero and Wagner paired with Henderson are seemingly limitless.
Bol Bol, Jonathan Isaac, Moritz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. will all be willing recipients from Henderson on pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop chances. The Magic have a plethora of big men that are effective or at the very least serviceable floor spacers which will open up cutting lanes towards the basket for Henderson.
Henderson would be the starter on day one if he falls into the Magic’s lap so there isn’t much point in mentioning the guards on their roster.
Time Left…
Are the playoffs a realistic goal for your team or will the allure of Wembanyama or Henderson be too much to resist? There is time left to turn it around or tank for the ultimate prizes.
