The Portland Trail Blazers open their 2023-24 season against the Los Angeles Clippers. The organization is experiencing major changes after trading away Damian Lillard. However, Scoot Henderson hopes to lead the new-look Blazers, and his talent drew a great compliment from Tyronn Lue. Lue compared Henderson to Clippers veteran Russell Westbrook before the two teams' NBA debuts.

Scoot Henderson gets high praise ahead of NBA debut

Ty Lue noted some similarities between Henderson's and Westbrook's style of play:

“He plays a lot like Russ in terms of attacking the paint, attacking the basket. And he's relentless,” the Clippers head coach said, per Sean Highkin.

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Henderson was the third pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Needless to say, his elite athleticism makes him dangerous on both ends of the floor. The 19-year-old averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.67 steals in 21 games for the G-League Ignite in 2022. He will be expected to help the Blazers' offense stay competitive.

Of course, the Clippers have aspirations to win an NBA title after not being able to put things together for the last few seasons. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George faced numerous injuries, but now the franchise players are finally healthy. Naturally, this could be Tyronn Lue's best-assembled team.

Russell Westbrook looks to complete LA's “Big Three”. The former NBA MVP started the 2022-23 season with the Lakers before being traded to the Clippers. Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.9 rebounds after the trade. In addition, he shot an improved 35% for three-pointers as well.

As the veteran and the rookie go head to head, the night is sure to be filled with exciting highlights. All in all, both players are competitive and want their team to come away with victory.