The Portland Trail Blazers have looked slightly better over the past ten days or so.
Also, having Scoot Henderson come off the bench has done wonders for him, as he’s been able to be more aggressive against lesser defenders, and his efficiency has gone up.
That’s why the reigning No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft won’t back down from his early-season challenge and goal of running away with NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Recently, the G-League product claimed that the award is still up in the air, so he’s going to keep pushing towards that goal (via NBACentral).
Scoot Henderson says the Rookie of the Year race is ‘still up in the air’
“Trying to get Rookie of the Year, that's still my goal. That's still up in the air, I think.”
(Via https://t.co/LH3Hy6voGk) pic.twitter.com/10oULDjclu
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 28, 2023
Truth be told, there’s still plenty of time to change the voters’ minds and snatch the award at the last second, but that just doesn’t seem very likely at this point.
Besides Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, both of whom have looked way ahead of the rest of the rookie class, it seems like only Jaime Jaquez Jr. could pose a legitimate threat to get the distinction, assuming they all stay healthy.
Wembanyama is leading all rookies in points (18.3) and rebounds (10.6) and is the league leader in blocks per game (3.0).
Holmgren trails him in all those categories at 17.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, although the Oklahoma City Thunder have a much better record than the Spurs, which should also count into the mix, and they’re both tied with 79 blocks because Holmgren has yet to miss a game.
Henderson, on the other hand, is averaging 11.1 points and 4.5 assists per game on 36% shooting, so he’s got a lot of work to do.
NEXT: Damian Lillard Gets Honest About His Time With The Trail Blazers