Scoot Henderson was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the third pick in 2023. His arrival preceded the departure of Damian Lillard, prompting the natural but extremely irrational expectation that the former G League Igniter would step straight into the veteran’s shoes.
In the almost three years since his drafting, Henderson has been the very definition of inconsistency, showing glimpses of talent and athleticism separated by longer stretches of inefficiency and poor decision-making.
I haven’t
been shy in voicing my concern. His penchant for turnovers, facepalm-inducing facilitating and below-average rim finishing have prompted consistent hair-pulling episodes from many a watcher.
But let’s be clear. A lot of NBA players make the same mistakes and draw nowhere near the same ire. The reason Henderson’s play has been so frustrating is because he clearly has the ability and tools to live up to his selection.
Unlike your run-of-the-mill rotation player, the 22-year-old has that rare potential, the tools to be a player who can put a team on his back and take his teammates to glory.
Through his three NBA regular seasons, Henderson averaged 13.5 points while shooting 40.4 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from three, and a 47.2 percent effective field goal percentage. He’s also registered 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.9 turnovers.
His supporters have argued that he’s only 22, he needs more time to reach said potential. My steadfast reaction to this argument has been a headshake. Sure, he’s young but he’s also been playing against grown professionals since age 17 and was initially promised as a ready-made product who would launch himself on the league.
This elevated expectation was probably helped along by the bravado and charisma he clearly carries, that self-belief that he is the type of player to deliver a franchise everything they fantasized about.
Unfortunately, until this point it has been overpromise and under-deliver. It’s been hard to watch as the more he played, the more you could see the once brazenly boastful teenager come down to Earth. But perhaps it was the reality check he needed, perhaps he needed to doubt himself, understand that this was never a cake walk.
Many of us go through this rude awakening at some point in life, the realization that we might not be as good as we thought or that we were told we were. Once drowned in this ice bucket of reality, human beings have a choice, ignore it and continue believing something will just happen or get to work and rediscover what made the dream a possibility in the first place.
From reports, Henderson got to work during the offseason, ensuring he was ready to finally stake his claim on the league. Sadly, injury struck and a hamstring complaint kept him out for the majority of the season.
However after watching him perform through his first three NBA Playoff games, I now wonder whether that hard work before the injury wasn’t in vain.
Perhaps, Henderson’s Game 2 performance was the culmination of the determined offseason training schedule, still untapped ability and the humility he may have learned through his early NBA career.
Game 2
Henderson had indeed shown glimpses of being able to take over a game over the past three years. But it was Tuesday evening that he showed he could play a complete game. It was the type of performance deserved of the guy taken two spots behind Victor Wembanyama.
What’s more impressive was that it was Henderson’s second playoff game. Whether it was the bright lights, competing against old friend Wembanyama or remembering the stinging words many of his detractors had voiced or written since his NBA debut, I can’t be sure. But Henderson made Frost Bank Center his own.
He put the Blazers on his back and led the franchise to its first playoff win since May 21, 2021 when a Damian Lillard-led squad bested the Denver Nuggets. Henderson interestingly ignored his natural instincts to pass and chose to score, with no hesitation and with all the dexterity he teased before joining the NBA. Finishing the game with 31 points on 5 of 9 from three, 11 of 17 of the field, 1 rebound, 1 block and 2 turnovers in 38 minutes.
He was effective on both sides of the ball, executing a couple of crucial defensive stands and using his frame to bully some of the smaller San Antonio guards. He was locked in, never doubting his ability, a Neo-like Matrix moment where he could metaphorically dodge bullets and fight off opponents with one hand, without looking.
Tuesday’s game was obviously the highlight but I should acknowledge the efficiency and confidence with which he used the ball last night. Despite the Blazers going down to a Dylan Harper-led Spurs, Henderson was probably Portland’s second or third best player.
While he wasn’t the scorer we saw on Tuesday, Henderson defended with gusto while finishing with 21 points on 5 of 10 from three, 8 of 18 from the field, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 turnovers. The fact that he was able to string three games together was encouraging.
Conclusion
Have I changed my view about where Henderson may end up? Maybe. What we saw from the third-year guard on Tuesday night scratched me right were I itch. I’ve been begging Henderson to prove me wrong and in four playoff quarters he got my attention.
Of course I’d love for him to do this consistently during the regular season, but the fact that he rose to the heightened stage of the NBA Playoffs wasn’t nothing. The bright lights don’t frighten him, the Blazers just need him to do it, regardless of the wattage.
I still think the Blazers should steer clear of giving Henderson an extension this summer. I’m still not sure that he’ll ever be more than just an average starting level point guard. But, boy, did he put some doubt in my initial evaluation.
While the Blazers gave homecourt advantage back to the Spurs last night, this series is about more than just progressing to the Conference Semifinals, it’s about seeing who can rise to the occasion when needed. This young Blazers squad still has years to make a deep playoff run.
One of my takeaways has been that Henderson can be part of it if he plays like that. He doesn’t necessarily have to score 30 points every night, but he needs to be closer to the guy the Blazers thought they were getting on draft night. And on Tuesday night, he was pretty much there.
