Scoot Henderson is a great prospect with legitimate problems with his game.
As the 2023 NBA Draft approaches, all eyes are on French big man Victor Wembanyama who is being called one of the best prospects of all time. However, there’s another high-level prospect in this class who many fans and analysts have pegged as one of the best guard prospects in recent memory. That prospect is Scoot Henderson of the G-League Ignite.
There’s a lot to like about Henderson’s game, and he possesses many skills that could make him a dominant player at the next level. However, there are also some major issues with his game that people have seemingly overlooked.
Let’s take a look at his game and break down every aspect of his profile, warts and all.
Scoot Henderson’s path to the NBA
Scoot Henderson graduated from Carlton J. Kell High School in 2021 as a five-star prospect with scholarship offers from high-major basketball programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Florida State. Rather than going to college, he decided to join the G-League Ignite, a team in the NBA’s developmental league which was built for developing top, young basketball prospects.
At the time that Henderson signed with the Ignite, he was just 17 years old, making him the youngest player in G-League history. When players this young join professional basketball leagues, they usually don’t play very much and aren’t given an opportunity to show off their skills.
This wasn’t the case for Henderson, though. In his first season with the Ignite, he played 27.9 minutes per game and averaged around 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals per game on 56.4% true shooting. Before he was even a legal adult, he was productive in a league filled with fringe NBA players. That’s extremely impressive.
The next season, he played 30.2 minutes per game and was even more productive, averaging around 18 points, five rebounds, and six assists per game on 54.9% true shooting. With two productive seasons in the G-League before turning 20 years old, Henderson proved that he is a gifted prospect with a ton of upside. However, there’s more to his game than the basic box score.
Let’s examine the best parts of his game and what makes him such a strong point guard prospect.