Trail Blazers Former No. 3 Pick Struggling in Year 2

Portland guard Scoot Henderson has seen some regression in his second season.

Dec 15, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (G) watches on between plays in the first half during a game during a game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images / Allan Henry-Imagn Images

Selected at No. 3 in the 2023 NBA Draft behind only Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama and Charlotte forward Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson was thought of to be the next great player to usher the Portland Trail Blazers into their next era.

Through just one and a quarter seasons, though, Henderson has struggled mightily. Even worse, in Year 2, he seems to be regressing ever so slightly.

In his first season, he was one of the more inefficient players in the entire league, but still mustered solid counting stats for a frosh: 14.0 points, 5.4 assists to 3.4 turnovers and 0.8 steals per game.

It would’ve been a solid season to build off and improve on, but that hasn’t been the case so far in the 2024-25. Through 19 games prior to Thursday night, Henderson has scored a lesser 10.8 points on a slightly better 40% shooting. His turnover have taken a small dip to 2.8 per game, but are still much too high for a potential lead guard. 

Even worse, Henderson’s shooting hasn’t headed in the right direction, to this point. Last season, he shot 33% on over four attempts. So far this season, he’s shot just 28% on even less volume at around three attempts.

All of this was encapsulated well by Henderson’s Thursday night game against the Denver Nuggets, where he shot just 2-for-11 in reserve minutes, adding seven points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal and block apiece. The overall production was solid, but the shooting has still been a major hinderance, with him shooting just 1-for-5 against Denver. Portland ultimately came out with the win, but their guard saw another wildly ineffective night shooting the ball.

It’s not yet time to hit the panic button on Henderson.

There’s still plenty of games left this season, and the sophomore slump is aptly named. But in order for Henderson to return to the heights as a highly lauded guard, he’s going to have to make major improvements, and soon.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.