All eyes may be on Victor Wembanyama during his rookie NBA season, but Scoot Henderson believes he will steal the headlines from the first-overall pick.
Wembanyama was selected No. 1 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft, with the 7-foot-4 Frenchman seen as the biggest prospect in basketball since LeBron James. At the start of the calendar year, it wasn't certain that Wembanyama would be the top pick, as he faced pressure from another bright talent.
G League Ignite's Henderson is also highly rated, and put pressure on Wembanyama in the race to be No. 1; but he ultimately fell to No. 3 as Alabama's Brandon Miller was selected ahead of him. Henderson was picked up by the Portland Trail Blazers, and he's keen to prove who the real No. 1 is.
The point guard could be given a lot of responsibility during his rookie season, with Damian Lillard still heavily linked with a trade. And Henderson is confident that he will be the best rookie in the NBA next season.
"My goal, obviously, is to win Rookie of the Year, and I will win Rookie of the Year," Henderson said. "That's just a mindset, a manifestation that I kind of grew. Never doubted myself, you know, making sure I'm always putting good energy in the air, making sure I'm telling myself 'I'm gonna have a great rookie season.'
"I'm not saying I want to have a great rookie season, I'm gonna have a great rookie season. I'm gonna have a great career. I will have a great career and making sure that's always in just past tense because it happened."
Henderson is certainly full of confidence and has been that way ever since declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old averaged 17.6 points per game, 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds in the 2022-23 season, and even played Wembanyama's Metropolitans 92 in an exhibition game.
The contest was labelled as, "The Clash of the Titans," with the two top draft prospects facing off. Henderson's G League Ignite team won 122-115 against Metropolitans, but Wembanyama won the individual battle.
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Wembanyama scored 37 points to Henderson's 28, although the American did manage nine assists during the game. Henderson was very confident he'd done enough to prove himself, and just like his Rookie of the Year prediction, he made a statement ahead of the draft.
"Yeah, I think I should go one," Henderson told GQ. "I know I'm gonna go one." Henderson did then reveal it didn't matter who is No. 1, but also added: "Who doesn't want to go one?"
Henderson didn't even go No. 2, as Michael Jordan reportedly preferred what he saw from Miller over the G League prospect. The Charlotte Hornets passed up on Henderson, and he's on a mission to prove himself in this season.