PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers selected G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick in the NBA draft on Thursday.
Henderson, 19, was asked on ESPN after the selection what kind of player Portland is getting.
"They get a dawg. They get a dawg who's going to come in and be hungry," Henderson said. "I'm young but I've got a mature mindset, and that's to work and come in and make a real impact, not just the basketball side, but the community. So they're getting a special player, a special person."
Henderson spoke to the Portland media on Thursday night. He said he's been in communication prior to the draft with Blazers guard Damian Lillard, but hadn't checked his phone yet to see if Lillard had reached out after he was drafted. He said he can play with Lillard and be "very complementary" to the Blazers superstar. He also said he was excited to play for head coach Chauncey Billups.
"I'm gonna pick Chauncey's brain so much, he might get annoyed," Henderson said. "I'm gonna learn so much from him."
After graduating a year early from Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia, Henderson played the past two seasons for the G League Ignite. Last season, he averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He wasn't the most efficient scorer, shooting 42.9% from the field, 27.5% from the 3-point line and 76.4% at the free-throw line. Henderson’s questionable outside shot may be his only weakness.
An elite athlete with exceptionally long arms (a reported 6-9 wingspan), he’s been compared to Derrick Rose (pre-injuries) and Russell Westbrook. It’s been a common refrain among draft experts that in most drafts that don't have a generational prospect like Victor Wembanyama, he'd be the No. 1 pick.
"He’s that good," wrote Sam Vecenie of The Athletic in his NBA draft guide. "He's going to be an exceptionally hard problem to solve for defenses from the first day he hits the NBA because of how well-rounded he is in ball screen actions. He can pull up and hit floaters, he can get all the way to the rim and finish with authority or touch, he can play slow or fast, and he can make high-level passing reads.
"On top of that, he’s going to force the action in transition and drive easy points that way, as well as be the guy from day one who sets the tone for your organization due to his competitiveness and drive. Henderson is truly an elite, franchise-altering prospect."
Blazers draft Iowa forward Kris Murray with pick No. 23
The Blazers picked Iowa forward Kris Murray with the 23rd pick, Portland's second first-round pick. Murray, 22, is 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds. He also has good length with a 7-foot wingspan and an 8-foot-10 standing reach. He's the brother of Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray.
Last season, as a junior at Iowa, Murray averaged 20.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. He shot 47.6% from the field, 33.5% from the 3-point line and 72.9% from the free-throw line.
"Murray projects as a solid rotation player in the NBA, the kind of guy who could give teams real lineup flexibility depending on what they're trying to do," Vecenie wrote in his NBA draft guide. "He can play the three or four at 6-foot-8, which will allow teams to shift between playing big or playing smaller. ... Finding guys this big who can defend in space and have potential to shoot isn't all that easy."
Blazers draft France's Rayan Rupert with pick No. 43
The Blazers selected Rayan Rupert from France in the second round with the 43rd overall pick. Rupert, 19, is a 6-6 wing with a 7-2 wingspan and an 8-10 standing reach. He played for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL, averaging 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds. He shot 35% from the field, 23.4% from the 3-point line and 70.9% from the free-throw line.
Rupert is a developmental project who may spend more time with the Blazers G League team than he does with the Blazers next season. But his defensive upside is off the charts. Vecenie wrote that Rupert has "tenacious defensive ability."
"Rupert's length gives him an awful lot to be excited about as a long-term investment. He has a terrific frame and tremendous upside on defense due to his physical tools and lateral quickness," Vecenie wrote in his NBA draft guide. "He's likely going to be a very difficult problem for offenses when he's defending due to his rotational instincts, motor and on-ball potential."
How does Lillard feel about it?
The question everyone in the NBA is asking now is where Lillard stands with the decision.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Thursday night that Lillard gave the Blazers an updated "timeline" to improve the team. According to subsequent reports, however, if that timeline was communicated to Portland's front office, it didn't happen Thursday after the draft.
Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report, who has as close a relationship and connection to Lillard than any other media member, reported late Thursday night that the Blazers star "has not had any recent communication with the Portland Trail Blazers involving the draft, free agency or his future."
Cronin confirmed Haynes' report minutes later in the post-draft press conference, saying that he and Lillard last spoke on Tuesday. He said he's communicated with Lillard's agent multiple times since then but the last conversation with Lillard was Tuesday. Cronin said he still wants to build around Lillard.
"There's nothing we want more than for Dame to retire as a Trail Blazer" and to put a winning team around him," Cronin said.
Since the end of the regular season, publicly and on multiple occasions, Lillard has said that he wants the Blazers to acquire veteran talent and put a contending roster around him, and if they can't do that, he and the team would need to have a conversation about his future in Portland.
At exit interviews, Lillard said he knew of players who "really move the needle" that want to play in Portland with him, but cautioned that "knowing that and then actually making something happen to make that a reality is a completely separate thing." One thing Lillard made clear is he didn't want to be part of a youth movement. He praised Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe but then said he wasn’t looking for more "19-year-olds."
"I want a chance to go for it. And if the route is to [build through the draft with young players], that's not my route," he said.
Lillard repeated that sentiment multiple times this offseason, saying he wants to stay in Portland and wants a chance to compete for a championship with the Blazers. He said the team had the assets, including the No. 3 pick, to add star talent through the trade market. He also said if that wasn’t going to happen, he and the team would need to decide what comes next. Reporting from trusted NBA reporters like Brian Windhorst of ESPN reiterated that sentiment.
At exit interviews, Cronin seemed to be in lock-step with Lillard, saying it was "time for us to starting moving quicker towards having a roster that’s ready to compete at the highest level." He talked about adding veteran talent. After the trade deadline last season, Cronin said the front office was "borderline anxious to push all our chips in."
But instead of pushing in all their chips and using the third pick to trade for a star, Cronin and the front office used the pick. They drafted a 19-year-old — likely a future star, but not a player likely to help the Blazers win as soon as next season (even the best rookies are rarely positive-impact players their first season). Later Thursday night, the Blazers drafted two more rookies instead of making a trade for veteran help. With the 23rd pick, they drafted a 22-year-old in Murray and then in the second round, they selected a 19-year-old in Rupert.
So what now? Cronin and Lillard were speaking leading up to the draft, as recently as Tuesday. He said he filled Lillard in on some trade possibilities and told him there was a "strong likelihood" the Blazers would make the pick at 3. Lillard knew this was coming. But nobody other than Lillard and those closest to him know what he's thinking about the direction of the Blazers.
Portland's fan base — and the rest of the NBA — anxiously await his response.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported Henderson's age as 20. He doesn't turn 20 until Feb. 3, 2024.