Scoot Henderson is one confident dude. So confident, in fact, that he believes that he’s already a lock to win the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. In a video recently released by Playmaker, the Portland Trail Blazers rookie guaranteed that he will have a hot start to his NBA career and bag the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy.
“That’s just a mindset, a manifestation that I kind of grew,” the Blazers’ prized rookie said). “Never doubted myself, you know, making sure I’m always putting good energy in the air, making sure I’m telling myself ‘I’m gonna have a great rookie season.’ I’m not saying I want to have a great rookie season, I’m gonna have a great rookie season. I’m gonna have a great career. I will have a great career and making sure that’s always in just past tense because it happened.”
Of course, the Rookie of the Year Award in the coming season isn’t going to be just a one-man race. If Henderson’s proclamation is to come true, that means that he’d actually have a bigger first-year campaign than the unicorn from France AKA Victor Wembanyama, who was touted prior to the 2023 NFL Draft as the greatest NBA prospect since LeBron James.
Apart from Wembanyama, Henderson is also expected fierce competition from Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets. Wembanyama and Miller were the two players selected ahead of Henderson in this year’s draft, and that’s certainly a great source of motivation for the Blazers guard.
Then there’s also Oklahoma City Thunder power forward/center Chet Holmgren, who is still eligible to win the Rookie of the Year Award after missing the entire 2022-23 season due to injury. There’s precedent for such a win, too, as Blake Griffin won the award during the 2010-11 season after injuring his knee before the start of the 2009-2010 campaign.
Henderson has odds of +320 to win ROY, while Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite with a price of -175. Holmgren, meanwhile, is +350 to capture the award. Other notable contenders for the 2023-24 ROY are Ausar Thompson (+2900), Amen Thompson (+2200), Gradey Dick (+3400), and Cam Whitmore (+2200).