Blazers Breakdown: Scoot Henderson’s Fit Alongside Damian Lillard

What could the third overall pick’s rookie season look like with Lillard still in the picture?

After Damian Lillard reportedly requested a trade on July 1, the Portland Trail Blazers’ third overall pick Scoot Henderson seemed to be headed for a rookie season as the face of the franchise. However, with every passing day, it appears more and more likely that Portland’s all-time leading scorer may not be on the move as soon as some expected. If Lillard remains on the roster and suits up to play, Henderson’s first season in the NBA will be vastly different from prior projections. What could such a year look like for the 19-year-old point guard?

When Lillard is on the floor, he will always be the star of the show for Portland. Even with how incredible of a prospect Henderson is, Lillard is the franchise’s greatest ever and still one of the best in the game today. Consequently, the Blazers’ rookie would have to shift to a more efficient process. Working with less opportunity, he’d have less room for experimentation. This means a developmental setting stripped of additional reps to toy with and ignite his creativity.

While in this scenario, Henderson may still be able to quickly work on chiseling in his pick-and-roll reads, he could miss out on valuable chances to learn to optimize his unique talents.

From his exhilarating athleticism, to his mid-range archery to his airtight handle to his uncanny court vision, Henderson clearly possesses the special skills necessary for the highest levels of upside. But to really propel himself to that ceiling, he will have to learn to best deploy these abilities, and that’s a process in which the former G League Ignite star needs space to try new things and make mistakes. This space is significantly smaller with Lillard running the show in Portland.

In addition to Henderson’s lessened usage altogether in lineups with Lillard in it (particularly decreased on-ball responsibilities) the scope of his usage would be altered greatly. It would likely consist of more play-finishing than initiation - more offensive possessions in which he attacks a recovering defense rather than break down the initial line of it. Practice makes perfect, so these opportunities will likely lead to improvement as a scorer off-the-catch and how to react to a scrambling defense.

Additionally, Henderson would likely dial in more on the other side of the ball. He has the attributes to add impact defensively, and in a squad in which he isn’t quarterbacking the attack, this will become more of a focus.

As a result of his offensive load amongst other reasons, Lillard does not lock up on defense. Henderson will be forced to pick up his teammate’s slack and guard the opponent’s top guard - something that would either be nonexistent or devalued if he was running the offense instead.

If he does in fact play his rookie season next to Lillard, Henderson’s development will likely skew more towards earlier impact. He will quicker improve upon skills which will provide a baseline of impact to any team. On the other hand, he may miss out on opportunities to hone in on the functionality of his special talents and reveal newfound ceilings.

So, would a backcourt with Lillard be more or less optimal for Henderson’s development? There’s merit to both sides here, but there’s a real case that would suggest less. Henderson is a prospect so good that he should instantly be met with a bevy of structured reps to make use of. If the Atlanta native can learn to make the most of his athleticism and craft to break open defenses, he has the potential to become Portland’s next legend. That is upside too tangible to not give him as much space as possible to experiment with, especially with the championship window of a Lillard-led Blazers team all but slammed shut.

Regardless of one’s stance on this question, everyone should agree that the Lillard-Henderson pairing will instantly become a must-watch for NBA fans if it hits the court.

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