Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson has changed agencies, joining Klutch Sports and CEO Rich Paul, per ESPN senior insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson — the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft — has joined @KlutchSports and CEO Rich Paul for his representation, Paul tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/bZs7XP1BFi
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 5, 2024
The 2023 No. 3 pick, Henderson is one of the success stories from the now defunct G League Ignite.
Potential Blazers Star Scoot Henderson Makes Clutch Career Move
A five-star point guard recruit, Henderson was ranked as the composite 10th-best high school prospect in the nation by 247 Sports. He turned down offers from programs like Ole Miss, Florida State, and Auburn to sign a historic G League contract. The youngest player to ever suit up in the G League, 17-year-old Henderson was just getting warmed up.
In his first year with the Ignite, Henderson averaged 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He was also one of four Ignite players invited to the Rising Stars Challenge. A few months later, Henderson really began turning heads. In a game against then Metropolitans 92 center Victor Wembanyama, Henderson dazzled the crowd.
Before they went No. 1 and No. 3 in the 2023 NBA Draft…
Wemby and Scoot clashed on the court when Mets 92 took on NBA G League Ignite 👏pic.twitter.com/p3IOBEselV
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) September 15, 2023
Tallying 28 points, nine assists and five rebounds in a 122-115 win, he was arguably the best player on the floor. To that point, being the Ignite’s top player is one thing. Dominating like that while playing against the projected No. 1 pick was another.
Expectations Were Too High
With the high octane playmaker averaging 16.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for the Ignite in 2022-23, he did well enough to all but secure his spot as a top-three pick in the upcoming draft. Cementing his opportunity was the likelihood that Damian Lillard would leave soon. This wasn’t just because the Blazers had interest in a player at his position. Then 33 years old, Lillard didn’t want to be a part of the impending rebuild.
After Portland actually took Henderson off the board, Lillard made an official trade request. Dame Time had run out and off. The rookie was set to help lead a team that features talents like Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant.
To the disappointment of everyone involved though, Henderson had a rough start.
3-point shooting was never his forte, but he was struggling to score inside as well. While he was making plenty of plays for others, he was also a turnover machine. To make matters worse, the Blazers were losing. A lot.
When the dust settled on the season, Henderson averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.4 turnovers per game, shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from 3. Subsequently left off the 2024 All-Rookie Team, the message was clear:
He wasn’t as ready people expected him to be.
Now, with his rocky rookie season in the rearview, he’ll look to put his best foot ahead in 2024-25. That being said, with the highly influential Paul now in his corner, he can also breathe easier. Due to Portland’s backcourt logjam, his minutes and development were in danger of being negatively impacted. However, with teams cautious of getting on the wrong side of Paul, the Blazers will be even more invested in his future.
