Portland Trail Blazers: 3 perfect combinations for their pair of 1st-round picks

1. Scoot Henderson and Dariq Whitehead

Scoot Henderson is the No. 2 prospect on our board and the primary consolation prize in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes as far as Portland should be concerned. Brandon Miller is the cleaner fit on paper, but the Blazers should have no qualms about selecting Henderson. Talent trumps fit this high in the draft, no matter the team.

Standing maybe 6-foot-3 in shoes, Henderson’s lack of size could clash with Lillard — not to mention Simons, who feels like a prime trade candidate if the Blazers do keep the pick. But Henderson plays bigger than his size defensively due to a 6-foot-8 wingspan and he’s built like a tank. The man won’t be picked on without putting up a fight.

Offensively, Henderson’s ability to pressure the rim and comfortably score at all three levels should complement Lillard. The latter will have to learn to spend more time off the ball, as will Henderson, but the amount of skill between the two is tantalizing. One has to imagine Portland can squeeze productive offense out of Henderson’s Westbrookian rim attacks and Lillard’s defense-warping jumper. Keep Simons around, run three-guard lineups here and there, and Portland will at the very least be entertaining to watch.

Dariq Whitehead has been the de facto “best late-round pick” in a lot of these exercises. He will enter the draft as the No. 9-ranked prospect here at FanSided. His strong foundation as a 6-foot-7 wing who shot 42.4 percent from deep at Duke, combined with his untapped upside as a shot-creator and secondary playmaker, makes him a potential late-round steal if he tumbles too far because of a lingering foot injury.

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