Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson have now been handed the keys to the Portland Trail Blazers system. This happened after the departure of Damian Lillard. A lot of rookie mistakes will haunt the former but Chauncey Billups has been quick to minimize all of that before the NBA Preseason wraps up. His first step in the right direction as a mentor to the G-League Ignite standout? Give him as much confidence to brace the 82 games and be the mentor he never got. Billups unveiled his message to the first-year NBA player via Marc J. Spears of The Athletic in his latest statement.

“I told him, ‘I’m going to be what I needed as the third pick in the draft at 20 years old. I’m going to be that guy for you.’ I promised him that,” was the Blazers coach's inspirational declaration when he talked to Scoot Henderson.

Chauncey Billups was the third pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. He faced nearly the same expectations as the Blazers rookie. But, he hoped that his mentee could surpass him during the first year. Henderson has been given a lot of minutes during the NBA Preseason but could not produce as much to match his ceiling.

On 30 minutes of playing time without the presence of Anfernee Simons, he only notched eight points against the Phoenix Suns. The young gun for the Blazers did explore another dynamic in that loss. His playmaking chops were on display as he darted five assists to teammates who were wide-open. There are a lot of things to work on for his game to thrive but he has a great coach to lead him.