Year 3 is often a turning point for NBA prospects.

As rookie deals near their end, teams usually have a clear read on a player’s ceiling — and whether or not he’s worth building around. It’s also when many take the leap and make it clear they’re stars. In their third seasons, LeBron James and Anthony Davis made their first playoff appearances, while Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards earned their first All-Star nods.

As the members of the 2023 draft class enter their third year, No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama already looks like a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The rest of his classmates, including three Portland Trail Blazers, are still trying to establish their place in the league.

Portland currently has five players on its roster from the 2023 draft, two of whom — Scoot Henderson and Toumani Camara — have the potential to figure prominently in the team’s future. With former franchise icon Damian Lillard returning from a two-year stint with Milwaukee, those two will be heavily relied upon to give him one last shot at a deep postseason run and maybe even the elusive NBA championship–once he recovers from his Achilles injury. 

Henderson, the No. 3 pick in 2023, struggled in his sophomore season. His per-game numbers dipped from his rookie year as he spent the season in a reserve role behind Anfernee Simons.

The Trail Blazers’ front office — as it should — still clearly believes in the 21-year-old guard. They cleared a path for him to become a full-time starter by trading Simons for 16-year veteran and two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday who is now in the twilight of his career. They could not have picked a better mentor as Holiday is literally regarded as one of the league’s best teammates.

Lillard, whom Portland traded to the Milwaukee Bucks a few weeks after drafting Henderson, is expected to be another role model who can help Henderson reach his potential. Sharing the day-to-day grind with Lillard and Holiday should only help — and it will be worth watching how that translates on the court in Year 3.

Meanwhile, Camara — the 52nd pick in the 2023 draft by the Phoenix Suns — has already carved out an identity at the NBA level as a versatile defender. He was acquired by the Trail Blazers along with Holiday in the deal that sent Lillard to Milwaukee, an interesting historical tidbit in the origins of this roster. 

Drafted lowest among the Blazers’ five players who came from that class, he has emerged as the most promising of the group–a reminder that draft position is merely just a number after the picks are made. He also leads all players in his draft class in total minutes played, highlighting how quickly he has become a viable rotation player.

The 6’8 forward immediately made an impact for Portland and was awarded a full-time starting role in his sophomore year. He started in all 78 games that he played in last season, making a name for himself as a pesky defender who could cover quite literally any player on the opposing team. This earned him All-Defensive Second Team honors along the way and, based on his trajectory, a first team selection should be coming in the near future for him.

If Henderson can live up to his potential and Camara continues on his current trajectory, this Blazers team could very well compete for a playoff spot this coming season. Once Lillard returns next year, much more will be expected of them. Until then, they still have room to learn and sharpen the edges. These two hold the key to Portland’s future and if they pan out as expected, this team should be back in contention sooner rather than later.