Scoot Henderson made his debut Wednesday night time, and in his first-ever recreation of consequence, completed with 11 factors, 4 assists, three rebounds, and 4 turnovers on 5-of-11 from the sphere throughout 36 minutes of forgettable basketball. It didn’t assist that the Portland Path Blazers trailed the Los Angeles Clippers by 20 on the break, and 26 after three, however the Blazers’ third general choose did not file a degree or an help within the first half.
The low-key most savage factor L.A. did was begin off in a zone, so shout out to Ty Lue for pantsing Chauncey Billups in file time. The ultimate, like Scoot’s stat line, was deceiving as a result of the Blazers tallied 38 within the last body and nonetheless misplaced by double digits, 123-111. Nevertheless, my concern isn’t a lot with Henderson as it’s his improvement.
The G League Ignite is state-sponsored propaganda moonlighting as a substitute for faculty, and if ever a prospect wished to take care of their draft inventory, or disguise a flaw, that is the route. Take into consideration what’s at stake for the NBA. Not solely does it have a substantial incentive to make this path alluring and profitable, but in addition the Ignite is type of the one motive the G League nonetheless exists. (Additional evidenced by the league not reducing the draft age minimal, as a result of in the event that they did that, there could be no shiny prospects headlining their workforce/developmental league.)
Risking a prospect’s draft inventory solely dangers the Ignite’s repute, and it’s higher enterprise to place them in positions to provide. If a five-star places up empty stats on a sub-.500 blueblood program, the coach will bench him, as a result of his job is at stake, and followers will scream a few lack of accountability. The Ignite are 26-35 over the previous three seasons, so clearly there isn’t a motivation to win, make teammates outdoors of your pick-and-roll companion higher, or play protection.
Go on the market, put some highlights on tape, and do exactly sufficient to protect your spot.
“However Scoot went proper at Wembanyama!”
Yeah, in an exhibition with the protection turned off.
It’s unfair to make broad generalizations after one recreation in opposition to a yet-to-be-injured Clippers workforce, however it seemed as if Henderson nonetheless thought the remainder of the fellows on the court docket had a non-verbal settlement to get their numbers first after which take into consideration the end result. He had a number of lazy passes picked off, couldn’t discover driving lanes, and when he did get to the cup, underestimated the size of defenders and bought his layup blocked.
And that’s earlier than mentioning the protection. (He seemed meh on the ball, and didn’t have spatial or situational consciousness off of it.) So shocker: Henderson — whose solely aggressive basketball after highschool and AAU was 17 video games of Ignite enabling — in all probability has a protracted technique to go.
In case you’re saying I’m a hater, responsible as charged. Now inform me which of those Ignite lottery picks greatest exemplified an NBA-ready participant: Jalen Inexperienced, Jonathan Kuminga, or Dyson Daniels?
The Rockets opened up in Orlando on Wednesday and bought beat by 30. Inexperienced was 2-of-10. Kuminga had 5 fouls in 20 minutes of the Warriors’ loss to the Suns on Tuesday. Admittedly, I haven’t seen a lot of Daniels, and maybe I’m lacking one thing from the on-paper manufacturing, but he wasn’t a standout as a rookie.
The pattern measurement is small, and clearly not sufficient to definitively say a method or one other, but when historical past repeats itself, Portland coaches will spend the subsequent couple of seasons breaking the franchise guard of dangerous habits, and educating Henderson how you can behave like a winner. That sounds extra like adopting a flawed rescue canine from a sh*tty household than it does shopping for one from a spot that was particularly designed to develop thoroughbreds.
“Right here we now have an exquisite Golden Retriever, one able to profitable greatest in present, and as a courtesy to you, our handlers have been letting Fido piss wherever he needs, chew on the couch, and eat rubbish. Good luck!”
The Ignite needs to be the f*cking Marines of NBA bootcamps, with Adam Silver screaming “Currahee!” at 5 a.m. each morning. In case you’re by no means going to see dwell ammunition — aka significant competitors and hostile territory — till the Affiliation, no simulation, scrimmage, or G League recreation might be taken flippantly.
Full disclosure, I’m a Path Blazers fan, so I could have simply been triggered by Scoot Henderson’s efficiency combined with all of the Damian Lillard promos, however one other phrase for set off is ignite.
