Tier: #1 Caliber

Player Comparisons: Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose

Scoot Henderson is arguably the best guard prospect of the past decade. If Scoot Henderson was in a draft that didn't contain a generational prospect, he'd be far and away the consensus #1 overall pick. However, thanks to Victor Webanyama, Scoot Henderson gets to be perhaps the greatest consolation prize of all time. No team can be mad about adding a guy like Henderson to their team. He's explosive and extremely fast and flashy. He's a great athlete who's got elite driving ability like prime Russell Westbrook or MVP Derrick Rose. However, one of his very few weaknesses is his 3-point shot as he shot 17% from 3 last season with the G-League Ignite.

Man Scoot is a fun prospect to watch. That combination of vertical athleticism and elite slashing ability put him up there with the most fun prospects to watch in recent history. His development as a playmaker and shooter have been very encouraging, and it is pretty easy to project Scoot as the #2 guy in this class right now.

Best team fits: Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz

It’s weird, considering how great of a prospect he is, for him to be the number two overall pick. This kid is real legit. The only place I can start when talking about Scoot is his best attribute which makes him such a tantalizing prospect; his athleticism. He is so explosive and can get to the basket so quickly. His first step is insane, and it reminds me of the mold of players like Rose, Morant, Westbrook, etc. He’s a very functional athlete and plays with great pace. What’s also so impressive about his athleticism is how good he is vertically. He’s got an insane vertical and can get off the ground really fast with little load up time. This combination of quickness and vertical leaping is very rare. His vertical allows him to be a great shot contestor and shot blocker. However, the defense only gets murkier from here. He makes better reads off ball and is improving there, seperation him from the quick guards by being nice off ball, while Morant and Westbrook are famously poor and lost off ball. He does struggle getting around screens and with screen navigation in general. He doesn’t always make great reads and gets caught on screens frequently. He fouls a ton trying to go for a steal. He’s pretty small at 6’2 but makes up for that with an impressive 6’9 wingspan. A +7 wingspan is extremely promising for his future defensive prospects.

Shifting to the other side of the ball, Scoot is amazing offensively at getting to the bucket. He is a wrecking ball when he decides to get to the bucket, but he settles for mid ranges very frequently. His touch near the rim is elite and he can finish through contact very well. He can make difficult finishes with either hand consistently. Not only does he have an insane first step, but he also has a deadly hesitation dribble which makes him an elite slasher, and he can potentially become one of the best slashers ever.

Believe it or not, his athletic tools open up even more for his game. He’s deadly in transition, making great passing reads and finishing at the rim on bigger defenders. He’s smart with the ball and takes care of it. This level of IQ on offense is rare and translates over to playmaking as well, where he excels. He makes reads quickly and has great versatility when it comes to passes he has to make. He can skip pass well and thread the needle. He’s also very careful with the ball not to turn it over. This playmaking makes him a true point guard, whereas if he had bad playmaking ability, he may have been forced to be a small 2 like Collin Sexton.

The main flaw in Scoot’s game is his outside shot. In 2022, Scoot shot an abysmal percentage from 3, but he’s turned it up this year. He’s shooting double the attempts and converting on 47% from treys. Due to Scoot having an amazing mid range jumper (which he settles for too much), there’s reason to believe that his long range jumper could come around. If it does, he’ll be one of the best players in the NBA and possibly a future MVP of the league.

Scoot is special. He’s got an amazing physical profile of insane leaping ability, elite quickness, and change of direction. He also has great vision and an amazing playmaking ability. While his shooting is a major flaw, his mid range is lethal and he is an amazing slasher. He’s got lots of physical tools on defense, and he could become a great defender if he gets more disciplined. Overall, Scoot is a special prospect that would be the number one overall pick in most other drafts and will be an extremely fun player to watch for seasons to come.

19.4 year-old 6'2 PG. Offensive initiator. With unreal burst and explosiveness, Scoot can do it all offensively, scoring at all 3 levels and setting his teammates up with his passing. Unanimously the 2nd best prospect in this class, and would go first overall in most other drafts.

Strengths:

++++First Step

+++Athleticism

++Shooting

++Finishing

++Handles

+Playmaking

Weaknesses:

--Shot IQ

-Defensive IQ

-Decision Making

-Height

Shades of:

Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose

Ceiling: Hall of Fame, 2-Way Sharpshooting Facilitator

Floor: Starter, Hyper-Athletic Gadget

Team Fit:

Scoot is a tier above anyone after him as a prospect, and is a near lock to be the 2nd overall pick by any team. He best fits with a team that has room for a face-of-the-franchise lead guard. The ideal backcourt pairing for Scoot is a tall off-ball defensive guard.

Best fits within range: San Antonio, Houston, Orlando, Utah, Washington,

OFFENSE Incredibile fast and explosive athlete. His first step is Top tier in NBA Incredible burst and vertical explosion Great at getting to and finishing at the rim can also absorb contact Excellent change of pace Played last year with very little spacing The fact that he Got to the rim really frequently in half court without having ball in his hand that much and with not many shooters It is very impressive GOT TO THE RIM STRONG AND CAN FINISH WITH FINESSE AROUND EVEN HUGE SHOTBLOCKER LIKE WEMBY Has good playmaking feel does not make amazing reads but make good passes and simple ones out of P&R too Very good at finding interior passes for bugs after the defense reacts to his separation and scoring gravity Can make live dribble passes in these occasions Not really good at reading the second level of the Defense especially at hitting shooters weak side VERY GOOD AT DRIVING, CREATING AND ADVANTAGE AND PUNISHING ROTATING DEFENCES Sometimes gets stuck in bad situations and is decision making can be questionable Has a rawness to him but some parts of his game are really polished already Good potential as a midrange pull up shooter 95% percentile Jumps a lot on midrange shot way less on 3s IS PERFECTING IT AS A WEAPON AND HIS MOVES OTD TO SET IT UP ARE ALSO GETTING BETTER MIDRANGE IS BECOMING AUTOMATHIC HE CREATES A LOT OF SPACE GREAT 1ST STEP Form not that bad he has good arc Especially at the elbows (CP3 shot) Need to massively improve from 3 HANDLE GOOD , CAN IMPROVE AND HAS IMPROVED, IS FUNCTIONAL BECAUSE HE GETS WHEREVER HE WANTS HOWEVER HE WANTS GREAT FOOTWORK AND BODY CONTROL, DOES NOT LOSE PIVOT FOOT ON SPIN MOVE OR FADEAWAYS NOT TALL 6.2 BUT WELL BUILT AND STRONG LIKE A TANK

DEFENSE Has athleticism and tools to be a positive defender His Defence is quite good for a 17 year old Makes some goods instinctive plays Has really quick and good hands on D CAN STICK WITH HIS MAN IN ISO BUT STRUGGLES SOMETIMES GOING AROUND SCREENS Good at poking the ball from behind when he gets beaten OTD Good positioning and some good plays from weak side, has good instinct and great hands But he still gets beaten OTD some timesOn ball really inconsistent HIGH LEVEL FLASHES ON AND OFF BALL AND STILL A FEW LAPSES IT IS STILL A GOOD DEFENDER, MAYBE WON T BE GREAT

Projected draft pick:2

Projected NBA rookie role: Starting PG of a developing team

Strengths: Scoot is a very athletic player with a quick first step, he can get around defenders with ease with good handles, good finisher at the rim, amazing playmaker

Weakness: Defense in mid at best, he is not consistent, and he aint the best shooter

Shades of/comp: young john wall, young d-rose

Best outcome: Become the next electric guard with JA, MVP caliber, today ja, MVP drose

mid outcome: good starting PG, but 3pt shooting will prevent him from being the next best guard.

worst outcome: He can't score in the NBA, and is a defensive liability