Blazers Asst. Scott Brooks Says Scoot Henderson Can Be Russell Westbrook 2.0

The Portland Trail Blazers see shades of a recent superstar point guard in 2023 No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson.

Trail Blazers assistant coach Scott Brooks compared Henderson to nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook, saying Henderson has the capability of being "Westbrook 2.0."

Brooks said, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape:

"They're both extremely smart, tough, competitive and determined, Their will to prepare is just as great as their will to win. And that's rare. That's not even talking about the athleticism and the size for this position. But there are a lot of similarities that it's uncanny. I had Russell for eight years, since he was 20 years old. Scoot is 19, and he has Chauncey to really help him take him to another level. But there's a lot of similarities, a lot and competitive and serious and wants to get better and coachable. Everything you want as a young player he has, so you know that he's on the right path for greatness."

It's safe to say that Brooks knows what he is talking about when it comes to Westbrook, as he coached Westbrook with both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Washington Wizards. The comparison is obviously lofty but Portland certainly has high hopes for the top prospect.

Head coach Chauncey Billups said that he wants to give Henderson the support that he needed as a rookie and veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon hopes to be a "calming presence" for Henderson.

The rookie is set to make his debut Oct. 25 against the Los Angeles Clippers as the Trail Blazers enter the post-Damian Lillard era.