Scoot Henderson Now Has The Keys To The Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard after 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers has requested a trade from the franchise and is looking to take his talents elsewhere to improve his chances at competing for a championship. The furthest Lillard has gotten in the playoffs is the Western Conference Finals. Multiple reports indicate the star guard prefers to be traded to the Miami Heat.
With Portland losing the greatest player the franchise has ever seen, this opens up a lot of opportunities for their young guys and in particular Scoot Henderson who they just drafted with the third overall pick in the 2033 NBA Draft. Henderson is one of the best point guard prospects we’ve seen in the last decade due to his explosive athleticism, scoring versatility and playmaking chops. The 6-foot-3 guard will likely now be given the keys of the offense and will have a chance to strive in an offense that’s focused much more around him.
Having another super talented fellow young guy next to him like Shaedon Sharpe will be very beneficial for his career and it looks like that duo could be the future backcourt of the Trail Blazers. Sharpe is a super fun shot-maker with above the rim finishing ability. This past season he averaged nearly ten points, three rebounds and one assist per game while shooting 47.2% from the field and 36% from three.
It goes without saying that a Henderson and Sharpe backcourt could be arguably the most exciting young duo in the NBA due to their athleticism and overall talent level. They’ll have some stuff to figure out on the defensive end but so does almost every single rookie when they enter the NBA. With Portland going rebuild mode, it’ll take a lot of pressure off these young guys and it’ll allow them to play through a lot of their mistakes. In the end, this’ll be what’s best for Lillard and Portland.
It will be interesting to see what the Trail Blazers end up getting back as they look to trade Lillard but it’s safe to say that Portland will gain back a ton of draft picks and assets to start their rebuild off the best way possible. Their rebuild process will be a lot smoother than what some other teams are currently going through due to how well they drafted and how much they can build off of the assets they’ll potentially get.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.