For the better past of a year they were the two most hyped basketball prospects. In fact, some wondered if Scoot Henderson should be taken first in the NBA Draft and opined that in any other season, he would be the consensus top pick. But in the year of Victor Wembanyama, it was the French phenom bestowed with the ‘generational talent' tag who won out while Henderson ended up as the third overall selection behind Brandon Miller.
Neither has won much since being taken by the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers respectively. And while that is not uncommon for high rookie picks, Wembanyama's lack of team success has been noteworthy while Henderson's individual stats haven't stood out, although he has NBA Rookie of the Year on his mind.
More than a third into their rookie season, both Wemby and Scoot are set to meet for the first time in Portland on Thursday night.
Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson side by side
There is little doubt about who's had the better rookie season individually.
Victor Wembanyama stats: 18.3 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game, 3.0 blocks per game, 1.3 steals per game, 3.3 turnovers per game, 30 minutes per game in 26 games.
Scoot Henderson's stats: 11.1 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, 2.6 rebounds per game, 0.6 steals per game, 3.0 turnovers per game, 26.2 minutes per game in 20 games.
Wemby's edge is so clear that he's even averaging more steals, a stat that normally favors guards, than the 6'3 Henderson. The 7'3 big man is the focal point of a Spurs offense that often hasn't featured much of an attack.
Henderson's edge comes with the won/loss record. Though just 8-21, the Blazers haven't been as bad as the 4-25 Spurs. Henderson has missed nine games related to a right ankle sprain.
In relation to other notable rookies
Here are the complete rookie seasons of some of the best players currently in the league, including their teams' won/loss records:
Zion Williamson: 22.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg in 27.8 mpg. Williamson played in only 24 games for the 2019-2020 New Orleans Pelicans, who went 30-42.
LeBron James: 20.9 points per game, 5.9 assists per game, 5.5 rebounds per game in 39.5 minutes per game. The 2003-2004 Cleveland Cavaliers went 35-47.
Paolo Banchero: 20.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.7 apg in 33.8 mpg. The 2022-2023 Orlando Magic went 34-48.
Anthony Edwards: 19.3 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.9 rpg in 32.1 mpg. The 2020-21 Minnesota Timberwolves went 23.49 in a season that was shortened for Covid related reasons.
Ja Morant: 17.8 ppg, 7.3 apg, 3.9 rpg in 31.0 mpg. The 2019-'20 Memphis Grizzlies went 34-39 during that season that was halted them resumed in Orlando for some teams.
Cade Cunningham: 17.4 ppg, 5.6 apg, 5.5 rpg in 32.6 mpg. The 2021-'22 Detroit Pistons went 23-59.
Anthony Davis: 13.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.0 apg in 28.8 mpg. The 2012-2013 New Orleans Pelicans went 27-55.
While most of these players are recent high draft picks, Anthony Davis serves as a good comparison because, like Wemby, he's one of the few big's that continuously stands out. LeBron, of, course, is a standard by which many hyped rookies are measured.
When compared to these notable highly touted rookies, interestingly, Victor Wembanyama comes close to matching their individual numbers while Henderson's team results are more comparable – or, at the very least, none of the teams listed above endured seasons as bad as the one the Spurs are on track for.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said his 19-year-old star won't play in both games of back-to-back nights in Portland so Thursday should prove the first and only Wemby/Scoot meeting for at least a month.
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