Scoot Henderson G League Season Ends Early; Draft Preparations Begins

G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson won’t be selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but he is widely expected to go No. 2.

So Henderson has been shut down for what little remains of the regular season, having proven enough already in the eyes of NBA scouts, as relayed by Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

The Ignite aren’t likely to make the G League playoffs, so what would be the point of Henderson continuing to play at this juncture? Apparently, the Ignite (and likely Henderson’s reps) feel there would be no point at all.

An interesting aside here is that the Ignite aren’t going to make the playoffs, despite being made up of some of the biggest names in the entire league. But those names are incredibly young, and even in the G League, youth rarely pays when it comes to winning big.

Anyway, Henderson is one of those young players with major upside. He is expected to be selected right after 7-foot-4 Frenchman Victor Wembanyama in this summer’s draft.

Wembanyama is expected to be a franchise-changer. Henderson is viewed as not too terribly far behind. So for him to keep playing and risk injury, for a G League team that has no shot at a title … well, it probably wouldn’t make sense.

Henderson, 19, is 6-foot-2 and played 19 games for the Ignite, averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 30.7 minutes. He will now begin full preparations and placing his entire focus on the NBA Draft. 

The Pistons, Rockets, Spurs and Hornets all appear to be in a race to the bottom, in hopes of landing a top-two draft pick. So Henderson may not make the playoffs next season, either. But it’s the NBA, and who knows what will happen next?

Scoot Henderson, projected No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, has been shut down by the G League for the remainder of Ignite's season, a league official told ESPN. Ignite is unlikely to make the playoffs and the G League feels Henderson has shown enough this season.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 14, 2023