Blazers' Scoot Henderson Reveals How Chauncey Billups Has Impacted His Game

The second-year point guard has had a disappointing start to his pro tenure.

Dec 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) is defended by Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) as he goes for a rebound in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On paper, bringing in highly-regarded rookie point guard Scoot Henderson looked like a very savvy move for the Portland Trail Blazers to make early in the 2023 NBA Draft. In practice, he looked significantly more raw than anyone was expecting, despite having significant opportunity on a lottery-bound squad. Still just 20, Henderson hasn't looked much better this year.

But at least he has head coach Chauncey Billups, a Hall of Famer as a player, guiding him through this rookie terrain.

Henderson was demoted by Billups to a permanent bench role, following an underwhelming rookie season for the former No. 3 draft pick. In his 17 healthy bouts this season (three starts), the 6-foot-3 G League Ignite product is averaging 11.8 points on .419/.321/.780 shooting splits, 5.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals a night.

Billups, too, was a No. 3 pick coming out of the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1997. He was flipped midway through his rookie season from the Boston Celtics to the Toronto Raptors, and subsequently logged stints with his hometown Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. but didn't fully blossom until he landed with the Detroit Pistons in 2002-03.

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"First, congrats to him on becoming a Hall of Famer. Everybody knew that was going to happen," Henderson said.

Billups, a five-time All-Star, was honored in Springfield this year. A three-time All-NBA honoree, two-time All-Defensive Teamer and the 2004 Finals MVP, in addition to his All-Star accolades, the 6-foot-3 Colorado product at one point led his clubs to seven consecutive conference finals appearances while with the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets, including two straight NBA Finals in 2004 and 2005.

Across a 17-year playing career, "Mr. Big Shot" posted regular season averages of 15.2 points on .415/.387/.894 shooting splits, 5.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals, across 1,043 bouts (937 starts). He finished among the top 12 in MVP voting four times, including as high as fifth in 2005-06.

"I think I’ve learned so much from Chauncey, like all of the little things in the game," Henderson revealed. "He’s told me how I could work out, and Pooh Jeter has. Chauncey makes sure I’m calling out the plays and attacking in drills while getting into plays that guys like on offense and being vocal. Chauncey was vocal and the leader of his group when he played. Little things in his game he’s trying to instill in me."

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