Top Performance Series: Scoot Henderson

Breaking down explosive guard Scoot Henderson's game versus the Memphis Hustle in late February.

The idea behind the top performance series is to go back and watch the best, or one of the best, box score games of each prospect's season to see how they looked when they were performing at their highest individual level and what that might show us about their ceiling as a prospect.

While the majority of the potential No. 2 overall picks, Scoot Henderson, best games are from early in the NBA G-League season he did have a game in late February that could be considered his best as he racked up 20 points, 14 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

This game was also selected because he went 2-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line but did not attempt a single free throw.

Evaluating a game where he played great and shot well from behind the arc was enticing but a game where he never got the charity stripe was also very intriguing.

Offense

For many, the explosive athleticism is what pops when they watch Henderson. But what really stands out is how he is able to harness that to play under control at his pace and with so much change of speeds.

This shows up particularly in his ball screen usage where he is going to make his biggest offensive impact from day one. The 6-foot-2 guard consistently is jabbing, shoulder faking, ball faking, etc. to set his man up before utilizing the screen.

What is important to note is that Henderson is not even playing with a true pick-and-roll threat, or even pick-and-pop threat, with this Ignite team. Having a more efficient ball screen partner at the next level will open up even more for him.

The one area that will make or break just how good he is, and maybe offensively overall, is continued improvement to knock down open 3-point attempts when the defense dares him to do so by going under the screen or in off the ball situations.

Speaking of off-ball situations, he was asked to do this more than you might expect as the Ignite allowed Pooh Jeter to run the show at times. If Henderson ends up on a team with other primary ball-handlers, there are creative ways to use him as a player who attacks from the second side after the defense has been bended and unsettled.

Another area of his offense that popped in this game was his passing. Henderson makes it look easy as he casually puts the ball on time and on target throughout the game. He showcased this in the previously mentioned ball screens but also in transition and running set plays for the other scorers on his team.

The final area that popped against the Memphis Hustle was his mid range pull up game. This was something that was much talked about last season but took somewhat of a dip this year. If Henderson is able to consistently knock these down like he did this particular game it is going to drive NBA defenses crazy.

It was mentioned that the Marietta, GA native didn’t get a single free throw attempt in this game and it was not a good game all around for his finishing in the paint.

Henderson isn’t playing with the best spacing but even when he did get to the rim in this game he was not able to capitalize on a couple finishes you would expect someone of his strength and athleticism to do so.

The ball screen usage is real, the passing is real and the mid range game looks to be real as well but it is fair to really want to see improvements in these other two levels of scoring.

Defense

The biggest takeaway from watching Henderson in this game is has a little more versatility than you might expect from a player of his height.

He is strong and he has a long wingspan which allowed him to matchup with former first round picks Jake LaRavia, 6-foot-7, and Ziaire Williams, 6-foot-9, at times throughout the game.

The biggest value he will bring upon entering the league is using that wingspan to create turnovers and be a defensive playmaker.

As mentioned, he had three blocks in this game, and countless other times where he got deflections and disrupted the offense with his activity level.

Where this can get Henderson in trouble is with fouls and he does tend to drift away from his man a little too far at times when playing off the ball.

Henderson’s screen navigation was somewhat of a mixed bag but there were enough positive flashes to be encouraged by it and he was seemingly communicating well throughout the entire game with his teammates.

Finally, while not being a major impact on the defensive boards, he did show a willingness to consistently get involved and even had a couple possessions that stood. First, he made a really nice weak-side rotation to get inside position on the offensive player. Second, he was the secondary rebounder on a missed shot and aggressively ripped away an offensive rebounding opportunity from Kenneth Lofton Jr. (6-foot-8, 275-pounds)

Henderson may never be an elite two player but he is working with plenty of tools on this end of the court to be a plus level defender.

Ceiling

Best lead creator in the NBA.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.