The rookie extension deadline came and went before the season, and the Portland Trail Blazers never struck a deal with Scoot Henderson. The 22-year-old guard is now headed toward restricted free agency next summer. It also serves as another reminder of just how wide the divide is between Victor Wembanyama and the rest of the 2022 NBA Draft class.
Portland took Henderson with the third pick, hoping he could grow into the franchise’s next elite point guard in the mold of Damian Lillard. That hasn’t fully happened yet. Even after a strong run in the 2026 Playoffs, he still doesn’t look like an All-Star-level player.
Wembanyama, on the other hand, is already in the mix for best player in the league. He has pushed the San Antonio Spurs back to a level of success they hadn’t reached in more than a decade, and now he’s entering a fourth season with every team in the league paying close attention to San Antonio.
Their first-round matchup against each other in the 2026 Playoffs put that gap on full display. It was the first postseason for both Henderson and Wembanyama, and the Spurs’ first-round series against the Blazers turned into a clear statement about why San Antonio took Wembanyama first a few years ago.
He was the dominant force in the series, putting up 21 points, 8.8 rebounds and four blocks per game. Game 1 was the headline moment: a 35-point performance that set the Spurs’ franchise record for most points in a playoff debut.
Henderson did his part, too. He averaged 15 points as a starter and shot 47.5% from the field, including a scorching 46.4% from three-point range on 5.6 attempts per game.
It was a solid introduction to the postseason and probably the biggest breakout stretch of his career. Still, it wasn’t close to Wembanyama’s level.
San Antonio won the series in five games, and Wembanyama only strengthened the argument that he’s the league’s top player. Henderson’s own development remains worth watching, but he is nowhere near the standard Wembanyama has already set.
And it’s not just Henderson. Brandon Miller has been excellent for the Hornets and locked in on a five-year, $209M extension, but he isn’t in the same conversation as Wembanyama.
The Thompson Twins have become defensive stalwarts, yet they still haven’t put together the kind of two-way impact Wembanyama brings. Cason Wallace and Dereck Lively II have already been part of some big moments, including an NBA Finals appearance, but they don’t have that same individual stardom.
There is still time for all of them. None of those players is even 25 yet, and it would be premature to rule out Henderson becoming a lead guard star down the line. But for now, Wembanyama has established a bar that nobody from that class has been able to approach.
In Other News...
Spurs Suddenly Have A New Opening In The West Race
A sudden injury scare in Oklahoma City has already nudged the Western Conference conversation in San Antonios direction, at least in the eyes of the betting market. After Jalen Williams went down with a lower left leg injury and was taken off on a stretcher, FanDuel Sportsbook shifted the Spurs ahead of the Thunder in the 2027 NBA title odds, a notable swing for a team that is still just 1-2 and trying to settle into its own season.
The timing is what makes it interesting for the Spurs, because Oklahoma City entered the week unbeaten at 3-0 and looked like one of the leagues early standard-bearers. With no official diagnosis yet for Williams as of Sunday night, the bigger picture in the West remains cloudy, but San Antonio at least found itself on the right side of a market move that says plenty about how quickly the balance can feel like it is changing. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremy Sochan Faces A Tough New Reality After Spurs Run
Jeremy Sochans latest stop comes with a different kind of pressure, and not much time to settle in. After a championship run with the New York Knicks and a previous stint with the San Antonio Spurs, he was selected No. 1 overall by the Texas Legends in the NBA G League Draft, giving him a new path as he enters his fifth professional season.
Sochan had signed a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, only to be waived before the regular season, which made the G League route a necessary next step rather than a detour. Even so, both the Texas Legends and the Dallas Mavericks organization have signaled belief in what he can still become, leaving his next move as one of the more interesting subplots around his career. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Be Running Out Of Patience With Keldon Johnson
Keldon Johnsons place in the rotation is starting to look less secure as the Spurs sort through their early-season lineup mix. Now in his eighth season with San Antonio and playing on the final year of his contract, Johnson has brought the effort the staff expects, but the on-court fit has been harder to ignore, especially with his defensive issues and the way his lack of spacing can crowd things for the rest of the offense.
The recent lineup adjustments suggest the Spurs are already exploring other combinations, and Johnson could see his minutes tighten once Tobias Harris is back in the fold. For a player who has long been part of the clubs core conversation, the concern is not effort so much as whether there has been enough progress to keep him in a prominent role as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]