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What’s good y’all. It’s Prince here with another Layup Lines, and I want to talk about Scoot Henderson for a minute. The 18-year-old put on a show Tuesday night, but he’s still being overshadowed by Victor Wembanyama. It’s a shadow he’ll find hard to shed.
As long as things continue to play out as projected, Wembanyama will be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft and Henderson will be No. 2. The two players will forever be linked, and Wembanyama will always be mentioned first because of his unique combination of size and skill.
Even after Henderson led the G League Ignite to a win over Wembanyama and the Metropolitans 92 with 28 points, he was mostly just a secondary story to the French sensation’s incredible 37-point performance. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Being connected to Wembanyama might actually bring Henderson more notoriety than he would’ve garnered alone. The same way Henderson’s Ignite teammates benefit from his presence, he benefits from Wembanyama. Even the most casual fan will tune in to see a 7-foot-5 center with guard skills play, and on Tuesday they were treated to a display of what Henderson could do too. He used that stage to increase his profile.
Wembanyama is seen as a once-in-a-generation prospect, so simply being in the conversation of top pick with him is a big deal. If Henderson proved anything Tuesday, it’s that he absolutely deserves the praise. The 6-2 guard BALLED, showing his own freakish combination of athleticism and skill. He finished several layups over and around Wembanyama, which is no easy feat. He even knocked down a step-back three over him, something several players in the past have tried and failed to do.
Wembanyama is a beast and deserving of all the attention he’s receiving, but Henderson shouldn’t be forgotten in all they hype. Even Wembanyama admitted, had he not been born, Henderson would be No. 1. Game recognize game.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Bet For The Win’s divisional previews continued Wednesday with a peek at the Northwest Division. That’s the Blazers, Jazz, Nuggets, Thunder and Timberwolves.
Denver is the clear favorite to win the division at -145 odds (and maybe even the entire conference), but as our Cole Huff writes, don’t sleep on Minnesota.
“Minnesota is the default sleeper because there aren’t any other worthy teams in the conference. Portland could be good and surprise some folks, but likely not good enough to eclipse 50 wins and remain in play for a division title.
But Minnesota’s case to win the Northwest is also strong because, well, the Wolves are going to be really good. They finished last season three games out of first and it’s clear they got better (on paper) with the addition of Gobert. There’s also a world in which the favorites, the Denver Nuggets, aren’t quite as good as their projections.
Don’t sleep on Minnesota.”
Shootaround
— Jimmy Butler finally got rid of his faux lox, and NBA fans liked the decision.
— You may not like ESPN’s new NBA theme song, but you’ll get used to it.
— NBA GM’s picked Evan Mobley as the most likely breakout candidate in their annual survey.
— Here are 5 important takeaways from Ben Simmons’ Nets debut.
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