Scoot Henderson Urges Blazers to ‘Hit’ Victor Wembanyama, Intensify Physicality vs Spurs

The Portland Trail Blazers struggled to solve Victor Wembanyama en route to a Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night in their first-round series. 

Wembanyama, who was playing in his first-ever playoff game, made history, putting up 35 points, the most by a playoff-debuting Spurs player, on top of five rebounds to take control of the game. 

Blazers could not keep pace with Wembanyama’s impact on both ends of the floor, so guard Scoot Henderson wants to ramp up the team’s physicality, especially against the 7-foot-3 center. 

“I feel like sometimes we can stop some of those (runs) for sure with (Wemby) on the floor, without him on the floor,” Henderson said. “We just have to be more aggressive. I’m telling everybody to hit him, hit everybody. If they rolled down hit him. I think that’s something that we gotta continue to do in this series.”

Henderson was the Trail Blazers’ leading scorer with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. He backed up Portland’s leading scorer, Deni Avdija, who had 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in Game 1. 

The Blazers were called with fewer fouls than the Spurs in the game, 19-17. 

Blazers bigs Donovan Clingan, Jerami Grant, and Robert Williams each had defensive minutes against Wembanyama, but no one could really contain him. There were also instances where Wembanyama powered through defenders’ physicality and still finished at the rim. 

Scoot Henderson Still Thinks He Deserved to be the Top Pick Over Wembanyama

GettyScoot Henderson thinks he should have gone No. 1 over Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Scott Henderson has yet to reach the heights Victor Wembanyama has attained since both were drafted in 2023. 

Three years since their draft day, Henderson expressed that he should still be the top pick over Wembanyama on a re-draft. 

“Hell, yeah, I do. I think I bring so much to any team I go on,” he said in an interview by Bill Oram of The Oregonian before the NBA playoffs. 

“I bring that winning mentality, my confidence in my game and my approach to the game… The way I look at it, however long I can get on the court, however long I can stay on the floor, whatever I got to do, I’m out there. I’m trying to do it, trying to get stops,” he added. 

Henderson ended up at No. 3 in the draft after the Charlotte Hornets picked Brandon Miller with the second pick. 

After a slow start in his career, mainly because of numerous injuries, Henderson picked up steam this season, averaging 14.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. 

Meanwhile, Wembanyama is an MVP candidate this season and a Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner. He is also an All-Star and led the Spurs to the No. 2 seed in the stacked Western Conference. 

Blazers Hope to Bounce Back Against the Spurs in Game 2

GettyBlazers-Spurs Game 2 set for Tuesday.

The Trail Blazers will get another shot at the Spurs in Game 2 on Tuesday, April 21, in San Antonio. 

Game 3 will then be in Portland on Friday, April 24. It will be the first playoff game in Portland in five years. 

With Henderson’s statements, the Blazers are expected to turn up the notch against Wembanyama in the hopes of stealing a game on the road.

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