The Scoot Henderson the Blazers Drafted Has Finally Arrived

When the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, they believed they would get the version of what they saw against the Indiana Pacers on a nightly basis.

Henderson scored 28 points on 10-15 shooting off the bench with six assists as the Blazers beat the Pacers by 20 points. Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter was very pleased with Henderson's performance after the game.

"Great bounce back from him, just being aggressive overall. I think he has six assists, zero turnovers. Help us to get the guys together, push the pace. Made shots, drove strong to the basket, so confidence was there. Great for him, good to see him playing better tonight. Yeah, I think it's just those days that we are down; you gotta find a way to get up and perform," Splitter said postgame.

Scoot Henderson Turns Heads in Win vs. Pacers

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Henderson had easily the best performance of his season, making just his 13th appearance of the season. It's the first time he's broken 20 points since March 12 of last year in an overtime loss against the New York Knicks. Henderson felt his rhythm coming back during the game.

"I feel like I was doing what I usually do: just making sure I'm handling open guys, same intensity on defense, being vocal," Henderson said of his performance.

Henderson wasn't the only one on the court to recognize the difference. Blazers forward Deni Avdija saw the version of Henderson that he has come to know as his teammate.

"I know he's capable of that. I've been playing with him for a while. I loved his confidence. I loved his ability to keep shooting, keep playing," Avdija said.

Blazers forward Toumani Camara believes that Henderson can continue playing at this level of consistency for a while. That will really help the Blazers in the long run.

"When he played like that, with a level of intensity and that will to beat his defender, I feel like he's unstoppable," Camara said postgame. "I was telling him during the game, I feel like there's times where he can maybe play a little bit too much with the ball and stuff like that. He's too fast and too strong for people to stay in front of him.

"You just gotta keep playing with confidence and believe in all he's been working on. His whole life, he's a great player. He's here for a reason, so it's no surprise to me the way he played tonight."

Seeing Henderson play as well as he did against the Pacers is a really good sign of what's to come. That being said, the Pacers are one of the worst teams in the league, and it would be more encouraging to see Henderson continue playing like this against tougher competition.

Henderson will get that chance when the red-hot Charlotte Hornets come to town at 7 p.m. PT inside the Moda Center. Fans can watch the game on Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.