trail blazers guard Scoot Henderson We discussed learning from a Hall of Famer and what to expect from Portland’s young roster going forward. Chauncey Billups replaced by his coach Damian LillardGrowing into a locker room leader while also sporting signature PUMA sneakers at age 20, what we can expect from his new Scoot Zero II sneakers, and more with HoopsHype.

Jack Gorman/Getty Images

Scoot Henderson: I think with the young core we have and the dogs on our team, we will soon be one of the best teams in the league. you have Donovan ClinganHe has shown little of what he can do. Shaedon (Sharp). I try to give those guys credit and do my job. My most important job is to give people the ball, let them play, and share their talents with the world. I’m trying to be a leader on and off the floor and get to know people a little better. I think the key is for us to play hard and shock a lot of teams throughout the season.

Alika Jenner/Getty Images

fizzle: One of the valuable lessons, in my opinion, is not to watch how others play. Don’t wish you had this or that. I’ve known that for a long time, but I’d say it’s invaluable for the young players coming up. Control what you can control. That’s how you work, play and prepare mentally and physically. Take care of your physical and mental health.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

fizzle: First of all, congratulations on being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Everyone knew that would happen. It’s crazy that he’s my coach and he’s in the Hall of Fame, it’s just crazy. I feel like I learned a lot from Chauncey, like every little thing in the game. He taught me how to exercise, fu jitter have. Chauncey makes sure I’m calling plays and attacking in drills, starting plays that I like on offense and vocals. Chauncey was the vocalist and leader of the group when he performed. He’s trying to instill in me the little things in his game.

Trevor Ruszkowski – Imagine images

fizzle: I think it’s about showing them that you can do it, holding yourself accountable, and letting others know where you can get them their rocks. It’s about trying to lead people to good things in what they’re doing, even when they’re screwing up. I think men respect you a lot more than if you were not good enough for them or lied about something. They showed me a lot of respect in the locker room. I think our young group is so together right now. We all respect each other equally.

Stephen Chambers/Getty Images

fizzle: I think I did really well growing up. I’m not trying to take over what Dame had. i want to do me, Scoot Henderson. I want to win some games and give the city a reason to come to the game. With the young core we have, we want to make it exciting for fans around the world to watch the Trail Blazers rise. Especially with our young core and the veterans on our team. I think being here for the past two years has been a good learning experience. I don’t think I can go anywhere except up. I’m ready.

Daniel Dunn-Imagna Images

fizzle: My next step is to control the pace of the game and know when it’s time to slow down and run the play outright to save time or get a stop on the defensive end and get a chance. Grab a water bottle and play fast.

Daniel Dunn-Imagna Images

fizzle: Not at all, honestly. I keep an eye on the league. If one of those blows up, I’ll see when I watch or play it. I want to be one of the best players in the league. I don’t want to be one of the top lads. That’s my goal.

puma hoop

fizzle: It’s a blessing to know that I’m one of the youngest players in the league to own a signature sneaker. When I go back to what I’ve been blessed to do, I know that PUMA gave me the opportunity to be that way. I can do nothing but try to repay them in a way that shows respect. I don’t take it for granted.

puma hoop

fizzle: I was heavily involved in that. Me, my sister, and the PUMA team worked together pretty much throughout the entire process. I’ve provided some insight into how I want it to look. They came back and did a great job making my dream come true.

puma hoop

fizzle: Most come in a variety of colors, but some are plain or plain colors that anyone can wear. The color was what I had imagined, the PUMA team came back with what it would look like and I said I like this and that. There was a lot of trial and error with the colors and specific grades of color.

puma hoop

fizzle: I like to say quite often. Since I’m so involved in shoe making, I’ve been pretty involved throughout the season. We had a meeting, maybe a couple of meetings during the season. Whenever something comes to mind, I go into the group chat and say, I saw this today and I think this is a good idea, or I saw these colorways side by side and they look like fireworks. I shared the thoughts in my head, and that played a big part in making them come alive.

puma hoop

fizzle: Right now I would like to draw your attention to Scoot Zero II. It will manifest itself in the future. I want to see feedback from fans. I wore the Scoot Zero II for media day and have been wearing it all season.

Michael Scott (@MikeAScotto) from X, formerly known as Twitter.