Woes Continue for Trail Blazers’ Former Top Draft Pick

Portland’s top pick from last year’s draft has yet to find his NBA groove.

Sep 30, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00). Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Scoot Henderson was long thought of as the second-best talent in the 2023 NBA Draft, only behind the generational Victor Wembanyama. But on draft night 2023, he fell into the lap of the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 3.

At the time, many thought of the move as a blunder on the Hornets part. But a year removed, with Henderson yet to find his NBA groove, opinions are starting to change.

There’s no question Henderson saw a rough debut season in the NBA, despite some reason for optimism near the end. He scored around 14 points per game, a fine mark, but did so on just 39% shooting from the field, including 33% from beyond the arc.

If the scoring woes weren’t enough, he also committed 3.4 turnovers per game, which tied for fifth among the entire league. Only the far more impactful Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cade Cunningham finished ahead of Henderson.

But there was reason for optimism. 

In his last 12 games, Henderson saw a far superior 19.3 points on 42% shooting, hitting 40% of his six threes attempted per game. He didn’t tone down his turnovers — over five per game in that span — but he certainly looked more like a starting NBA guard.

Many thought it might just take a season for Henderson to acclimate to the NBA. But his opening preseason performance against the Clippers on Friday night didn’t necessarily inspire confidence moving forward.

In 30 minutes, Henderson scored just 13 points on 16 total shots, again showing a turnover-prone tendency with seven fumbles.  Overall, it was an abysmal night on one fans thought improvement could've been shown.

It’s of course just the first preseason game, and Henderson will have ample time to figure things out with the rebuilding Trail Blazers. But he’ll certainly need to show progress in Year 2 in order to prove himself to the franchise going forward.

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