There is a perception around the league that Scoot Henderson will be drafted within the first 5 picks during the 2023 NBA Draft. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report had Scoot Henderson going to the Portland Trail Blazers with the 3rd overall pick during a mock draft on June 2nd.
Unfortunately, Scoot Henderson’s skill set suggests he is entering the league at a bad time. Throughout his basketball career, Scoot has primarily played the ball handler role. According to USA Today, Henderson spent 43.7% of his offensive possessions with the G League Ignite as a pick-and-roll ball handler.
Scoot Henderson’s skill set
When Scoot Henderson runs a pick and roll, he goes through a two-step process to determine his following action. Henderson first checks to see how the roll man defender defends the play. Once this happens, Scoot goes over the ball screen and assesses if the wing went over or under the screen before attacking.
For example, Scoot Henderson dribbled the ball up the court until he got past the elbow early in the first quarter against the Memphis Hustle. Henderson’s teammate Landry Nnoko proceeded to screen for him. Henderson saw that Kennenth Lofton Jr decided to stay near the paint. Scoot Henderson went over the ball screen and saw the wing defender Terrell Brown get stuck on the screen.
Unfortunately, Scoot has only shown the ability to be effective in the primary ball-handler role as he has struggled off the ball. He shot 27.5% from behind the arc in the G League on 2.7 attempts per game. Scoot Henderson’s skill set makes it difficult to find an ideal landing spot within the top 5 picks.
Only two teams in the top 5 heavily relied on the pick and roll this past regular season: Houston and Portland. Houston was 4th in pick-and-roll possessions averaging 22.4 per game.However, Houston is unlikely to run the same amount of pick-and-roll possessions next season.
James Harden
Houston could undergo major roster changes in the offseason. The Rockets are currently favorites to sign James Harden in the summer. Harden wants to return to the Houston Rockets because he is looking for basketball freedom.
Harden’s version of my basketball freedom before leaving Houston in 2021 was being the primary ball handler in isolation and pick-and-roll possessions. James Harden ran a pick-and-roll or isolation possession 53.7% of the time during his tenure in Houston, averaging 8.4 and 10.8, respectively.
If Houston re-signs Harden, Scoot Henderson will spend most possessions off the ball, spotlighting his weakness. Consequently, Houston isn’t the ideal landing spot for him, leaving one option outside of a trade, Portland.
Damian Lillard
The Trail Blazers were 13th in pick-and-roll possessions averaging 19.9 per game. 55.8% of Portland’s pick-and-roll possessions went to Damian Lillard, as he averaged 11.1 per game. There are questions about Dame’s future in Portland, as he has been linked to a trade to the Brooklyn Nets over the past month.
If Dame remains in Portland, Scoot will be in the same hypothetical situation as Houston, where he would be off the ball. In conclusion, Scoot Henderson’s single-layer skill set makes it difficult to find a landing spot for him.
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