Just recently, the G League Ignite was shut down the NBA due to several reasons, including hit-and-miss attempts to produce superstars and the introduction of NIL money to college sports. Shortly after, Portland Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson made this thoughts about the move known.
The G League Ignite was conceptualized as an alternative to high-school stars looking to skip college and make money before formally entering the NBA. During its existence, the program produced a handful of notable names in the league right now, including Henderson, Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Dyson Daniels.
In contrast to the program’s original aim, G League Ignite stars didn’t really become number one options or game-changers in the NBA. Of the stars that transitioned into the pros, only Green has shown potential as a perennial All-Star scorer. The thing is, the Houston Rockets star has only done it recently after Alperen Sengun went down and opened up the opportunity for him.
On the other hand, Henderson hasn’t lived up to the hype this season. San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holgren are leading the Rookie of the Year race, leaving the Trail Blazers guard behind in the dust.
Portland Trail Blazers Star Scoot Henderson Shows Love For G league Ignite After Shutdown
After news of Ignite’s shutdown was made public, Henderson made his thoughts about it known. In an article wrote by Sean Highkin for The Rose Garden Report:
“There were multiple reasons that it shut down,” Henderson said. “But whoever played on the team and made an impact for ourselves and in the world, that’s all you can think about. I really thank the people at Ignite. The little people that you don’t see. They don’t really get enough credit for how much they have to pour into us.
The coaches, they don’t get enough credit for having to get guys from high school, to get them up to speed in a few weeks to play some grown men that have children to feed. You don’t see that. You see them getting beat a lot and having a horrible record. You don’t see the things that they go through day-to-day,” Highkin wrote.
Over the course of 52 games, Henderson has averaged 13.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. The Trail Blazers star is also connecting 37 percent from the field, 30 percent from deep, and 82 percent from the free throw line.
It remains to be seen whether Henderson and other G League Ignite stars will become more prominent in the NBA. In any case, it pays to follow their careers in the coming years.
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