25-under-25: Scoot Henderson is the Blazers' new alpha

Scoot Henderson ranked No. 22 on The Step Back's 2023-24 25-under-25, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Check out the rest of the list here.

Scoot Henderson is going to make the Charlotte Hornets feel very, very bad.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Henderson parlayed an impressive season with the G League Ignite into a primetime selection. The Portland Trail Blazers risked Damian Lillard's happiness to bring Henderson into the fold. He's a special talent.

That said, Henderson's aspirations lie well beyond his No. 3 pick trappings. He wants to win Rookie of the Year, he wants to win championships, and he wants to embarrass every single obstacle to his success along the way. That's just how he's wired.

A lot of comparisons have been made to former MVP Russell Westbrook. The remarkable strength, the explosive first step, the kill-everyone attitude. Henderson takes special pleasure in elevating for dunks and putting defenders on a poster. He will flex, yell, initiate. He is very much a Weskbrookian point guard in that sense.

Of course, whenever Westbrook is brought up, there is a natural trepidation. Westbrook reached undeniable highs during his NBA prime, but he has always been hamstrung by tunnel vision and a singular play style that hasn't always correlated directly to winning. Compare a player to Westbrook, and for every vision of powerful drives, there's a vision of bricked jumpers and lackadaisical defense.

Henderson is different. He shares many of Westbrook's best traits but without many of the ancillary concerns. Henderson has the potential to defend at a very high level. Unlike Westbrook, his intensity doesn't waver on that end. As for the jumper, Henderson's numbers weren't great in the G-League (27.5 percent on 2.7 attempts from 3-point range), but his touch is soft and he's a solid free-throw shooter (76.4 percent). The indicators are strong in his favor.

That doesn't mean Henderson will outstrip Westbrook, who was a singularly dominant force at his peak. But, it does mean Henderson won't fall victim to the same shortcomings as late-career Westbrook.

As Portland spirals headlong into a rebuild, it will be important to establish the right habits and a winning mentality, even as the team loses games. There are several quality players on the roster, many of whom could take precedence over Henderson in the early going, but make no mistake: Scoot Henderson is the Blazers' present and future.

He is the alpha. He is the franchise.

The Blazers will relish the Scoot Henderson pick for a decade to come

Henderson has a slogan: O.D.D. — overly determined to dominate.

Those are the words he lives by, and it shows up on tape. It also figures to show up in the community. Henderson wants to build a successful career on and off the court, and his desire to get involved in Portland can't help but make one think of Damian Lillard. Henderson deserves the opportunity to chart his own path and establish his own reputation, but the Blazers are replacing one gem with another.

In terms of basketball, Henderson generally delivers on his domination mandate. He spent two G-League seasons physically overwhelming grown men as a teenager. He boasts the physique of a Grecian statue with the explosive acceleration of a mint-condition Ferrari F1 racer. His ability to absorb contact while elevating for finishes at the rim is uncommon. He is going to put constant pressure on the rim, in turn generating passing lanes and scoring opportunities for those in his orbit.

Henderson is not without imperfections — he has a tendency to get lost in the sauce every now and then — but his skill set is more polished than his detractors would have you believe. The jumper isn't broken, the playmaking chops are well above average, and he's not a defensive liability. Henderson will need extra polish in the NBA, just like any rookie, but he's a committed on-ball stopper who wills his way to a positive impact on both sides of the ball.

Portland is going to put the ball in Henderson's hands early and often, especially if Jrue Holiday is traded before the season. There is a lot of talent in the Blazers' backcourt with Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe, but Henderson is that dude. He is the player defenses will sell out to stop. Simons should be able to translate his success as a spacer and ancillary playmaker next to Lillard to his new partnership with Henderson. Meanwhile, Sharpe's silky 3-point stroke and explosive finishes will look mighty swell when paired with Henderson's ability to collapse the defense and generate advantages.

The Blazers will hope Henderson's career arc can mirror Lillard's in a number of ways — ideally with more postseason wins. Lillard came to Portland and immediately set the culture in a new direction. Henderson doesn't have the advantage of sharing the floor with a franchise pillar of LaMarcus Aldridge's caliber, but he does have the leadership qualities and offensive firepower to help Portland transition into a new era. He will be vocal in the locker room and on the court. He's not afraid to speak his mind and he will make a conscious effort to instill a drive to win in his teammates.

Henderson will flatly outperform his No. 3 pick designation. The Hornets made a mistake. Maybe, so did Damian Lillard. Rather than view Henderson as his replacement, Lillard should have at least momentarily considered the upside of Henderson as his co-star.

The G League Ignite product is going to be very good, very fast. Portland's rebuild might not take very long.