From: John Locher (Associated Press)

Victor Wembanyama is no doubt the number-one prospect in the upcoming NBA Draft. However, if he were not in this class, the Spurs would have another slam dunk prospect to choose at the first overall pick: Scoot Henderson.

THE BASICS:

Name: Scoot Henderson

Position: Point Guard

Team: G League Ignite

Age: 19

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 196 lbs

From: Ethan Miller (Getty Images)

THE GOOD:

Scoot Henderson is one of the most electrifying athletes I have ever seen. Henderson has prime D-Rose and Russell Westbrook athleticism. He is extremely explosive and can get downhill into the lane at ease. Once he gets to the rim, Scoot can either opt for lightning with a crafty finish around a defender or thunder with an incredible dunk over said defender. It took time, but Henderson is also showing flashes of elite playmaking from the guard spot. He loves to shoot the ball off the dribble, commonly pulling up in the midrange when defenders play drop coverage. His athleticism jumps off the tape on the defensive side as well, Henderson uses his quick bursts to jump into passing lanes.

THE BAD:

While his frame is NBA-ready, Scoot is on the smaller side for a modern guard, listed at only 6’2”. His three-point shot is not very developed, especially in catch-and-shoot scenarios. I would not expect this to be a problem, because not only is his shot form well developed, but he also did not take an exorbitant amount of threes at was. Although Scoot has shown flashes on the defensive end, the consistency is not there, and it leads to him trying to figure out where that elite athleticism should be put to use.

From: Joe Buglewicz (Getty Images)

PRO COMPARISON:

Scoot is cut from the same cloth as Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook: flashy, explosive athlete, who is fearless in the paint and at the rim. Rose and Westbrook were limited from beyond the arc but could knock down enough threes to become threats from the perimeter.

CONCLUSION:

Scoot Henderson is the most enjoyable prospect to watch in the 2023 NBA Draft Class. His scouting report is a highlight tape. If Wembanyama was not in this class, he would be a surefire number-one pick. There have been rumblings that the Hornets would pass on him and take Brandon Miller at two, which would cause a team to potentially trade up to 3 to select Henderson. Come draft night, it will be interesting to see where Scoot Henderson lands, but the team should be very excited about their future All-Star point guard for the next 4+ years.