Portland Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson has had an up-and-down season…mostly down, considering his status as the third-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He hasn’t been able to help the Blazers to wins, or even credible performances many nights. That’s made him one of the more polarizing figures on the team. That’s the general gist of today’s Blazer’s Edge Mailbag.
Dave,
In your last mailbag you said the Blazers don’t have a point guard. Does this mean you’ve given up on Scoot already?
Bryce
I haven’t given up on Scoot. The Blazers have bounced him up and down the rotation all year, so their comfort level seems to vacillate as much as anybody’s. I understand he’s suffered injuries, but there’s more to it than that.
Henderson just lacks some basics. That’s not unusual for a rookie point guard, even a highly-drafted one. But you can tell he’s gotten by on an edge in athleticism so far. That’s simply not materializing in the NBA. He needs more options than just blowing by, or through, defenders, many of whom are taller than he and nearly as athletic. He doesn’t have that yet.
Scoot’s lack of scoring prowess at this level isn’t helping him. The default position for a hot, young guard is, “He needs to learn the team game, but at least he can score.” 12.6 points per game on 37.2% shooting from the field, 29.5% from the three-point arc doesn’t allow Henderson the luxury.
That lack of scoring ability is making the game harder than it needs to be. Scoot’s defender doesn’t have to be afraid of him. Opponents lay off of him, allowing him to dribble freely on the perimeter or use screens with abandon, as long as he doesn’t drive to the bucket. Staying back those extra couple steps allows them to defend the rest of the team 5-on-4. That takes away any ability Henderson might have to pass the ball…the other primary duty of a point guard.
I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Henderson is getting 6.3 assists per 36 minutes. That’s more than I assumed he had. I don’t think anybody is surprised at his 4.0 turnovers per-36. That’s literally defenders being able to watch and react to everything he does instead of having to worry about him dropping 20 on them if they don’t get up in his grill.
Fortunately, Scoot can practice himself into better scoring skills. The shot should be the easiest. Give him a summer of shooting practice before you judge him totally unfit. Let your patience stretch to his third year or so before coming to any conclusion. If Henderson can learn to hit a three, his mid-range pull-up game will become devastating. At that point, defenders will have to watch him at all three levels—perimeter, mid-range, and at the rim—which will clear up that pesky “watch and wait” syndrome.
Scoot has the mojo to make it work. I also believe he has the commitment. Just because he’s not the instant answer at point guard now doesn’t disqualify him from being part of the answer down the road. He’s got hurdles to jump between here and there, but he’s also got the young legs to do it.
Thanks for the question! You all can send yours in to blazersub@gmail.com and we’ll try to answer as many as possible!
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