Draft Rumors: Scoot Henderson not shoo-in if Spurs get second pick

Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson have been the consensus best prospects on almost every Big Board this season, with scouts hailing each teenager as a franchise-altering talent. There is zero doubt the former will hear his name called first at the 2023 NBA Draft, but the latter might fall a little further than expected as other players raise their stock in workouts and interviews.

Alabama standout Brandon Miller has closed the gap and supplanted Scoot in the minds of some well-respected analysts. And the Thompson twins have cemented their names in the top-five pick conversation. According to the latest intel from LJ Ellis of SpursTalk, the Spurs could turn down Henderson to choose another youngster if they land the second overall selection in the draft.

""According to multiple scouts I’ve talked to, it’s widely believed that the Spurs are higher than the consensus on both of the Thompson twins. In fact, one Eastern Conference scout I spoke to believes that the Spurs would pick one of the Thompson twins instead of Henderson if San Antonio ends up with the second pick in the draft.""

LJ Ellis of SpursTalk

Though fans would likely see San Antonio spurning Henderson for Amen Thompson as a somewhat controversial decision, the six-seven guard possesses the physical tools to become a perennial All-Star in the NBA. Our Roberto Araiza wrote an in-depth scouting report on Thompson, but all you need to know is the 20-year-old has blistering speed, an absurd vertical, and elite court vision.

On the other end of the court, Thompson uses his six-eleven wingspan and persistent motor to lock down opponents on the perimeter. He averaged over two steals and nearly one block per game this season, providing weakside rim protection, playing the passing lanes, and converting turnovers into transition offense opportunities with his instincts, length, and one-percenter athleticism.

Thompson has immense potential, but there are glaring holes in his game the Spurs would need to address if they invested a top-two pick in the supersized floor general. His standstill and dribble jumpers are shaky at best, his ballhandling could use some fine-tuning, and his half-court finishing was subpar. Clean those skills up, and San Antonio could have a cornerstone for their rebuild.