Victor Wembanyama’s greatest rival never dared to rise up and challenge him

Three years removed from the San Antonio Spurs drafting superstar Victor Wembanyama, and it's clear that what was supposed to be a big rivalry is anything but. It's hard to believe, but Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson was generally seen as the second-best prospect for much of the lead-up to the draft.

Despite that, he ended up being picked third. That selection hasn't aged well for the Blazers, with him only showing occasional bursts of being a good player rather than the star that many expected him to be.

Worse yet, Portland has seemingly buried him behind several experienced guards such as Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, and Ja Morant. That puts his future with the Blazers in question.

The Spurs lucked out by drafting Victor Wembanyama over Scoot Henderson

The same can't be said for Wembanyama. Particularly after he led the Spurs past Henderson and the Blazers en route to a trip to the NBA Finals in just his third season.

To be fair to Henderson, the gap between Wembanyama and second overall pick Brandon Miller is also huge.

But at least Miller is a promising young player with possible All-Star potential. Meanwhile, Henderson appears destined to be traded for a matching salary, similar to how 2024 number one overall pick Zaccharie Risacher was.

In fact, it's hard to imagine Henderson getting a rookie extension with him likely headed to restricted free agency after next season. Wemby, on the other hand, just inked a $251 million extension. If that doesn't illustrate the difference between the two, then I don't know what will.

Victor Wembanyama is living up to the "generational" label

Wembanyama far surpassing other players in his draft class isn't all that surprising when he was considered to be a generational prospect. He has more than lived up to that label with him having just carried San Antonio back to the playoffs and the NBA Finals.

Miller may still prove to be an all-star-caliber player, while Henderson could find success on another team. Even so, the supposed rivalry between Wembanyama and Henderson never materialized.

That's too bad for the Blazers, who really could have used a superstar point guard to replace Lillard. Ironically, Lillard is back, and his return to the court after an Achilles tear may push Henderson out the door.

To their credit, they have built a strong young team around Deni Avdija, and the Spurs may face them again in the playoffs next year. Just don't expect a showdown between Wembanyama and Henderson to be the headline.

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