The Portland Trail Blazers drafted Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and the youngster wants superstar point guard Damian Lillard to stay with the Blazers.
Lillard could request a trade from Portland this offseason if the team doesn’t make upgrades to the roster, but Henderson is hoping that doesn’t happen.
“I’m hoping to get to play with Dame, for sure,” Henderson said. “Special talent, special guard. One of my favorites to watch, especially film-wise. Just to pick out how he moves off the court, as well. Yeah, it would be cool to play with him.”
Henderson and Lillard are both point guards, but Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said his goal is to pair the players together.
“I would say that my goal is to keep both of them,” Cronin said. “I would love to see Dame retire a Trail Blazer. I have zero desire to trade him. I really hope this works out here. And I think you can tell how excited I am about Scoot Henderson. He has a chance to be a special player in this league.”
Henderson played for the G-League Ignite for the past two years. The 19-year-old believes his experience in the G-League gave him a leg up on other prospects.
“I’m the most prepared player in the draft,” Henderson said. “The fact that I went there for two years just taught me so much. On the court, as well, but a lot of things off the court. I learned how to be a pro off the court. Just so much time off and just trying to find what to do. I found the hobbies that I like to do. Ignite definitely showed me a lot of things that I wouldn’t get anywhere else. I’m blessed that I did the two years that I did, and I grew so much from it.”
It will be fascinating to see if Lillard is still on the Blazers once the 2023-24 season starts.
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