The Portland Trail Blazers are entering a new era in their franchise history. Amid Damian Lillard's trade request, the team is expected to undergo a rebuild for the next few years. Now, the keys of the franchise will be given to Anfernee Simons and 2023 third overall pick Scoot Henderson. Head coach Chauncey Billups, who was a former third overall pick himself, shared his thoughts on coaching Henderson next season, per David Aldridge.

“It’s personal for me,” Billups said. “‘Cause I just remember myself being that dude, third pick in the draft. The expectations. I want to give Scoot what I needed at the time. I can do that. I’ve done everything he wants to do in this league. I struggled mightily early, which I don’t see that happening with him. He’ll jump a lot faster than I did. But I knew what I needed. And I’m going to be that for him.”

Billups also talked about his plan for coaching Scoot Henderson and how he'll mold the Blazers rookie to be a star. The head coach emphasized the need to be thorough and not skip steps, saying that this will be important to his development.

“He’s (Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson) going to play the game the right way, he’s going to play it for the team. The big picture is, Scoot’s going to be a star in this league. But I’m not going to let him skip those steps. And he’s going to be probably upset with me some days because I won’t let him skip those steps, but he’s always going to be appreciative. The kid is special. He’s going to be a really good player in this league.”

The Blazers were likely hoping that Lillard would be interested in the idea of playing alongside Scoot Henderson. Alas, that's not the case: Dame requested a trade. Now, Portland is hoping that they landed a top-tier prospect in Henderson. He has all of the tools to be a star: the athleticism and the scoring prowess is there.

As for Billups, this will be the second year of him at the helm of the Blazers. Last season was a bit of a trainwreck, with all of the drama and the losses. We'll see if they can bounce back from that disappointing season in 2023.