Scoot Henderson, Kris Murray and Rayan Rupert, after being selected by Portland with the third, 23rd and 43rd picks, respectively, at the 2023 NBA Draft, are about to begin their careers as Trail Blazers, at least in earnest.
This weekend, the Trail Blazers are expected to begin a week of practices in preparation for the Las Vegas Summer League in which Henderson, Murray and Rupert will line up with at least a few of their new teammates and a number of players who could potentially be teammates at the team’s facility in Tualatin. It will be their first time wearing a Trail Blazers uniform as members of the team rather than potential draftees. After a couple practices, the team will head off to Las Vegas for at least five games, starting with a contest versus the Houston Rockets on Friday, July 7, the first day of Summer League play.
So in a week’s time, we’ll have a slightly better idea of who Henderson, Murray and Rupert are as players. But their introductory press conference last Saturday already gave fans a window into who they are as people. Here’s what the new trio of Trail Blazers had to say...
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Scoot, when was the first time you really felt like the NBA was a real possibility for you? When did you recognize that?
Scoot Henderson: I think when I was in high school going into 11th grade. We had the gym, NextPlay360, but that’s where I really started to lock in and I realized my dream was closer than I expected. I got the opportunity to go to the Ignite and I just maximized my opportunity. I’m blessed to be here in Portland.
Kris, what were you thinking when you fell a bit in the draft and how did you feel when Portland selected you with the 23rd pick?
Kris Murray: Kind of the whole think I’ve been doing during this process is being patient, so definitely draft night is a night where it can be stressful for a lot of people. And for me, it was just kind of being patient. I knew that I’d end up with an organization that would be a really good fit for me and the Blazers took that chance on me and I’m excited for it, too.
Rayan, could you talk a bit about your basketball journey and how you’ve reached this point in your career where you’re now in the NBA?
Rayan Rupert: So I grew up in France. I played four years with INSEP Academy. Tony Parker, Evan Fournier played there, so I spent four years there. Last year I made the decision to play in New Zealand with the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL, so it was a great opportunity to grow up as a player and as a person, play far from my country. It was an amazing journey and now I’m happy to be here.
I think I’m a two-way player...I just love to be disrupt defensively, play with maximum energy, bring as much energy as I can to my team... Just bring energy, that’s me.
Scoot, I wanted to ask about all the hype around you. People are using words like “transcendent” and “generational.” What does that do to you mentally? Does it fuel you? Is it too much sometimes?
Scoot Henderson: Honestly, I don’t really pay attention to it. It’s kind of hard not to see it, obviously I’ve got social media but I just always rely on the gym. I wouldn’t have none of this if it wasn’t for me and my work ethic. Me coming in every single time, me coming in days when I didn’t want to. I always just fall back to getting back in the gym, so whenever it’s word like that -- generational, special -- I know who I am as a person and that’s all that matters.
Rayan, Nic Batum has made reference to you a couple of times. What’s your connection with him personally and is he someone who can help with your adjustment to Portland?
Rayan Rupert: Nic Batum is like a big brother for me. He called me yesterday, so I know him since 10 years. I did a camp and I finished MVP at this camp so I spend 10 days with him when he was in Charlotte. When he called me yesterday he just said a lot of good things about the organization, the people here. And yeah, I like his game, I try to learn about him on the court and off the court. He’s like a big bro for me.
Kris, how much has your relationship with your brother, Keegan, and watching him in the NBA going through that experience given you something to pull from?
Kris Murray: Yeah. it’s definitely a unique experience when your brother that you’re really close to gets to go through this whole process and I kind of get to see in the shadows last year, just kind of what it all entails. So just little things I learned from him, especially not on the basketball side, what is important. Just kind of how you take care of yourself on and off the court. The biggest thing I learned from him is just kind of doing the same thing ever day, don’t change who you are. He had a really good group around him last year, too, to kind of help him as a rookie, just kind of get used to the environment, used to the game. Definitely learned some things from him and grateful for it, too.
Scoot, one of the things you hear from great players over time is you come into the league with this kind of label, it’s not just about you, it’s what your impact is going forward. You’re responsible for other guys. Have you thought about that process of getting that mantel and not just being responsible for your own growth, but being a franchise cornerstone?
Scoot Henderson: Definitely. I’m blessed that I did the two years at Ignite as a pro. Having to tell Pooh (Jeter) who is 20 years older than me, where to go on the court. So I’m going to continue to get comfortable with that and I’m going to embrace it. That’s the thing I can do, embrace that. I’ve got a lot of responsibility but it comes with just the work ethic. I always go back to that and I work on things like that, just talking, little stuff in my game that I think can really go far.
Scoot, you mentioned your family and support system often on draft night. Why is your family so important to you and how have they helped you?
Scoot Henderson: They got me to where I am today. They molded me into the man I am today. There’s no other way to repay them than continue to say thank you and just try to find different ways to say that. Just hopefully they know how much of an impact they had in my life. There’s been plenty of people in my life but they always been my foundation and you can’t do nothing without a foundation. It takes a village.
Scoot, can you explain your motto, O-D-D?
Scoot Henderson: O-D-D means Overly Determined to Dominate. Made it up when I was in the car but I was just trying to find a slogan that represented me and something I could put on everything. Basically just being able to dominate the day, just basically words that describe me, who I am as a person. And I’m overly determined to be the best version of myself, overly determined to help the people around me and impact everybody’s lives. That’s what it is. It’s a way of life, it’s not just things on the basketball court. Also, being a great human being, being a great business partner, whatever the case may be. Just being overly determined to dominate the day.
Was there any reason you picked double zero for your number?
Scoot Henderson: Honestly, I picked it. I seen the roster and obviously zero is taken, but double zero kind of came full circle. We designed my Puma shoes a year ago and I put double zero on it and literally two days ago I chose double zero. I guess everything in full circle. God does everything for a reason.
Scoot, you’ve got the connection with Pooh Jeter here and Mookie Cook was with you on draft night, he’s just down the road at Oregon. How nice is it to be somewhere where you have connections?
Scoot Henderson: It’s extremely... it’s kind of crazy. I came in to be a pro at 17, pretty young, and Pooh just always believed in me and helped me throughout. Throughout hard days, through hard games or whatever the case was, it’s very special to have a guy like Pooh, someone that’s going to keep it real with you. I kind of felt that the first time I came to Portland, my first workout, I just felt loved. The fact that I’m here now, it’s a blessing. I appreciate the organization for believing in me. I’m going to for sure repay them.
Kris, you made a significant leap between your sophomore and junior seasons. Could you talk about the growth and if your game changed or if you were just able to show more of it?
Kris Murray: I think last summer was big for me, just the opportunities I got, just being able to grow every single year. That’s kind of something that the University of Iowa, especially Coach McCaffery, really emphasizes is just getting better every single year. I feel like I did that freshman year going into my sophomore year and then sophomore year to my junior year. For me, it was definitely just kind of honing in my skillset and just kind of getting the opportunity to show it a lot more. So I definitely thought I did this past year, kind of show everything in my game. I knew that Coach trusted me and that’s really all I needed. He let me play through my mistakes and mentally that helped me a lot, just knowing that he trusted me like that. Honestly, just got the opportunity to kind of just show what I could do. That’s kind of what made me take the jump these last few years.
For all three of you, how do you expect to impact the team in your rookie season?
Rayan Rupert: Personally, I will try to help my minutes by energy and my defense at the beginning, do whatever the coach want me to do to help the team. So that, my energy. I will keep working on all aspect of my game, for sure.
Scoot Henderson: I think I can put pressure on the defense in all kind of ways. Coming as a voice, try to lead by example and gain that trust from my teammates. Then on the defensive side of the ball, just grow. Just grow in that aspect and become one of the premiere defenders in the league.
Kris Murray: I think for me, it’s just my versatility, offensively and defensively. I feel like I can guard multiple positions and play multiple positions. Definitely my basketball IQ. I just think I’m a low mistake kind of guy. Definitely going to grow with these guys these next few months and just get better.
Kris, you’re going to be 23 on opening night, making you older than some of the guys already on the roster. In that regard, what role do you see in terms of leadership and learning and blending those things together?
Kris Murray: I definitely think I can help just with my experience -- I’m definitely older and was able to kind of see Keegan go through it last year, so I have some experience that way. But I think for me, I’ve always been kind of a leader by example, I used my voice a little bit more last year and I think that kind of helped me a lot, preparing me for the NBA coming up. So I think definitely having that older presence in the locker room, you could say, will help me out, just help me lead some of the guys. Scoot, Rayan, I think just kind of getting to know these guys a lot more, get familiar with each other... just become that tight knit group.
Rayan, there’s been some reporting that your agent asked teams not to draft you so you could end up in Portland. What was it like having that go down and waiting to see if you’d be a Blazer?
Rayan Rupert: It was a little bit stressful at the beginning but in the second round, when my agent told me “Yeah, Portland wants you,” I said okay, let’s go, I want to be a Blazer. I was happy.
Scoot, seeing you on draft night and here after your workout in Portland, it’s obvious you have a real joy and enthusiasm for the game. Where do you think that comes from or what it feels like, because it seems like there’s a real excitement about being Scoot Henderson.
Scoot Henderson: Honestly, I don’t know where it comes from, just from playing the game and loving the game. It feel like when a kid gets some candy. His mom was like “No” all day and he finally get a piece of candy, that’s kind of what that feeling is, kind of hard to describe. It’s a real joy when I’m on the court. It’s a blessing to be there, so why not have fun.