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What’s good, family. It’s Sykes here, once again, getting you warmed up with Layup Lines. Let’s get it popping with a quick word on Scoot Henderson.
This is a name many of you probably haven’t heard just yet. H’s the kid who signed the first multi-year contract with the G League Ignite at 17 years old. This dude is a five-star prospect who went straight to the pros in high school.
Now, he’s got a Puma Deal.
The brand officially announced their endorsement deal with Henderson on Tuesday. The 7-figure, multi-year contract is the richest endorsement deal ever signed by a non-draft eligible player, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
This deal will almost certainly shift the landscape of the basketball world in a few ways.
First, with LaMelo Ball and Scoot Henderson, Puma might have two of the most interesting under-23 players in the NBA by the start of next season. That’s a huge deal.
But second, and more importantly, Henderson getting this deal shows us just how viable an option the G League is for high school prospects.
The knock on the league has always been that players won’t be marketed well enough. After all, the NCAA is a more well-known entity than the G League. And, now that NIL deals are a thing, you’d probably have more of a chance to earn money off your likeness in college than you would in the NBA G League.
That certainly rings true in a lot of cases. But Henderson just proved the G League isn’t a 0-sum move. His deal is massive and probably bigger than most NIL checks.
Most of that is because of Henderson’s talent — he’s got No. 1 pick potential. But, regardless, it’s clear the opportunity is there. Players will see that and they’ll try and seize it.
So don’t be shocked if we see even more players taking the Henderson route very, very soon.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
The NBA Draft is only 8 days away. It’s a great time for you to start cramming and hoping your favorite team gets a good one. There’s nobody better to catch you up than our Bryan Kalbrosky.
Bryan had an interview with Jaylin (Not JALEN) Williams today and he asked him about a number of things from why he takes so many charges to playing for Eric Musselman at Arkansas to having someone in this draft class with the same name as him.
But what tickled me the most was his answer when Bryan asked how much he watched film.
“Every day! I shouldn’t say this, but in college, I would watch film in class. [Laughs] But on the way back from games, if I couldn’t get film yet, I would study the box score. I’m always watching the games. I always had to watch the game at least one time before I went to sleep just to see what I could have done better and to see what the team could have done better. We would watch film before practice. That added to what I did on my own, too.”
No wonder this guy takes so many charges.
Shootaround
— I could watch Boban Marjanovic block these shots from 8-year-olds all day.
— Here are 6 players who could potentially be traded on NBA Draft day. Things might get crazy, y’all.
— Speaking of the draft, there’s no way Paolo Banchero makes it beyond the Rockets at No. 3.
— The 76ers are trying to trade everything.
That’s a wrap, folks! Can’t wait for the basketball tomorrow. Let’s hope it’s a good one.
