Scoot Henderson Still 'A High-Quality Player' for Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin: “Scoot's still really important to what we're doing, what we're building."

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson reacts after scoring a three point basket during the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Portland Trail Blazers 2026-27 media day focused on the most prominent offseason headlines: Damian Lillard’s return, Ja Morant’s blockbuster acquisition and the welcoming of first-year head coach Micah Nori.

All fair inquiries. But what about Scoot Henderson?

Lost in the shuffle, the former No. 3 overall NBA Draft pick experienced probably the tamest media day of his career so far. Some of the shine has worn off. People are not as eager to barrage general manager Joe Cronin and teammates with queries regarding Henderson’s development.

This is not the end of the world, just a noticeable change. He is no longer the center of the franchise’s imagination. That’s OK, though. It does not seem to have affected his approach. 

“I feel like I’m coming in this year with a role in mind,” Henderson said. “Trying to be dominant every time I’m on the floor. That’s my goal. That’s what I envision.”

Contract year

As he enters his fourth season, it is no secret that Henderson’s underwhelmed thus far. Once compared to the likes of Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose, he may never reach the immense expectations thrust upon him when he was drafted as Lillard’s replacement. 

But, according to Cronin, Henderson remains an integral piece of Portland’s roster construction, acknowledging the strong showing he recorded toward the end of last year, highlighted by a 31-point performance in a Game 2 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.

“When he came back from the hamstring injury, by the time the playoffs hit, he had shown that he had taken another step,” Cronin said. “And I don't have any concerns about A, our ability to give him that role, and B, his ability to earn that role. Expecting a big training camp to start the season from him.”

Training camp started well enough. Nori threw Henderson some love after the first day of camp, stating: “Scoot was really good as far as pushing pace and making good decisions.”

Essentially guaranteed to see less minutes this year, Henderson, who all but likely is set to enter restricted free agency in the summer of 2027, needs to maximize his opportunities. Holding almost no leverage over the Blazers, his sole chance to flip his fortunes and see a pretty payday is to shatter perceptions.

“A lot of times, these types of deals are tricky to come by, especially for a high variance player like Scoot has been so far, where he's shown some really great moments and then some other moments where there's still a few questions around his game,” Cronin said. “But speaking from the Trail Blazers perspective, he's definitely a high-quality player for us. Would love it if he were here with us long-term, and if it doesn't happen this offseason, I wouldn't be too concerned with it. We still have one more off season to deal with.”