The next era of Portland Trail Blazers basketball is officially here as the franchise finally made the decision to trade away Damian Lillard.
All offseason, everyone was looking at the Trail Blazers and wondering where they would send Lillard after he requested out.
The answer ended up being the Milwaukee Bucks where Lillard gets the chance to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and chase after a title.
Meanwhile, Portland’s already got Lillard’s successor in Scoot Henderson who some believe will be a bonafide superstar in the NBA.
Henderson’s got all the tools to be great at the professional level, though defensively he’ll have some questions to answer.
Matisse Thybulle has been watching Henderson’s growth on the defensive end and believes he can be an impactful defender some day via Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report.
“You ever see kids who grow to be way bigger and stronger than everyone else early on, and they’re accidentally hurting people? That’s Scoot at this point. He’s so strong and athletic, and he’s got to learn how to use those things to his advantage, as opposed to having them used against him,” Thybulle said.
Matisse Thybulle on Scoot Henderson's defensive potential:
"You ever see kids who grow to be way bigger and stronger than everyone else early on, and they're accidentally hurting people? That's Scoot at this point. He's so strong and athletic, and he's got to learn how to use…
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) October 20, 2023
Henderson’s got the speed, strength, and athleticism at the guard position to make a real difference on the defensive end though it’s likely going to take him some time to figure out the pace and speed of the NBA game.
Rookies generally struggle to play sound defense, though a player as talented as Henderson should be able to figure things out.
Henderson’s first year with the Blazers will be full of learning experiences and growth and the franchise is hoping that he can be the one to lead them into the future.
NEXT: Chauncey Billups Reveals His Message To Scoot Henderson