An NBA executive thinks that Scoot Henderson will never pass Victor Wembanyama on next year's draft leaderboards. Henderson is a very talented player who could have been a No. 1 pick in a different year. It's just that Wembanyama is a once-in-a-generation prospect.
David Aldridge of The Athletic interviewed six NBA executives to assess Wembanyama and Henderson. An executive from the Eastern Conference believes that there's no way Henderson can overtake Wembanyama next year. He even joked that the only way for the French prospect to miss the draft is by going to prison.
"Scoot’s good, but, no," the East executive said. "Short of Wembanyama having murdered somebody, there's just no way."
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A Western Conference executive added that even if Victor Wembanyama suffers an injury, Scoot Henderson will still go second overall. The executive explained that Wembanyama not resting until the draft said a lot about his competitiveness:
"Wembanyama has essentially told everybody, even though I'm the No. 1 pick in the draft, I'm not going to shut it down and sit and wait. Right there, he just solidified, if he breaks both legs, I'll still draft him No. 1 and wait for him.
"The guys that scare me the most are the guys who won't compete. And this kid says, 'I like playing. And the only way I'm going to get better is by playing.'"
Many NBA analysts have gushed about Wembanyama's potential. Some have even called him the greatest prospect in league history. His combination of size and skill is something that has never been seen before. He stands at 7-foot-4, but moves around and shoots like a guard.
To read David Aldridge's interview with NBA executives, click here.
Victor Wembanyama lived up to his hype against G League Ignite
Victor Wembanyama played two exhibition games against the NBA G League Ignite Team earlier this month. Wembanyama lived up to the hype, scoring 37 points in their first game. He also made seven 3-point shots, adding four rebounds and five blocks.
Wembanyama was even better in the second game, putting up 36 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. More than 200 NBA executives, scouts, former and current players were in attendance to watch the French star. Scoot Henderson also had a good showing in the first game, but suffered an injury in the second.
Several NBA superstars were in awe of Wembanyama, including LeBron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.
James described him as an alien, while Curry called him a real-life 2K-create-a-player. Antetokounmpo cannot wait to face the 18-year-old prospect, and Durant thinks that the NBA is not ready for Wembanyama.
The unprecedented hype around Wembanyama will continue to build as the regular season progresses. Several NBA analysts have predicted that many teams will tank for the opportunity to draft Wembanyama. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that drafting the French prospect will increase an NBA team's value by as much as $500 million.