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Trail Blazers: In Defense of Gerald Henderson

I might have dismissed Gerald Henderson too quickly in regard to his potential (or lack their of) offensive contribution to the Portland Trail Blazers this upcoming season. Henderson isn’t the marksman Wesley Matthews was, but after a few hours of quiet reflection (watching YouTube clips) I was able to appreciate the things he excels at.

Because he isn’t a consistent shooter, he has developed a well-rounded game to compensate for this weakness.

The first thing to know about Hendo is that he knows how to get buckets in tight spaces. He has spent the last few seasons in Charlotte somehow holding up an offense, albeit a poor one, that featured perimeter players like Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. To clarify this for the basketball uninitiated, those players are not ideal floor spacers.

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He’s able to scavenge points from lineups destitute of shooters.

He was integral to that offense despite his three-point shot aversion. The Hornets performed better on both ends with him on the floor; having an offensive rating of 98.9 him on, compared to 95.8 with him off and having a defensive rating of 99.1 with him on the floor as opposed to 103.6 with him off.

His defense is also a welcome addition considering the questions surrounding the guard play for the Trail Blazers.

For those of you who thought the deluge of mid-range shots would end with LaMarcus Aldridge’s departure, Gerald Henderson is here to save the day. As you can see by these shot charts, the mid-range is very strong with this one. The one on the left is from the 2013-14 season while the one on the right is from last season.

Gerald Henderson’s Shot Charts From the Last Two Seasons.

While Hendo primarily operates near the mid-range and rim, there is a glimmer of hope for his three-pointing shooting chances. According to the charts above, he has shot near 50 percent from the left corner and hovered around 40 percent from the right corner over the last two seasons.

Hopefully he can up his production without sacrificing his efficiency from those spots this upcoming season.

Two other important wrinkles to his game include his cutting and post up ability. Henderson scored 1.37 points per possession (PPP) on 70 percent shooting in cuts to the basket last season. He knows when to take advantage of an inattentive defender, which will come in handy when Damian Lillard has the defense’s attention:

Hendo has a surprisingly effective post game; a rarity amongst guards. He’s adept at bullying smaller and slower guards. Although he settles for fadeaways a little too much for my liking, he knows how to get separation with shoulder fakes and score or draw the foul:

There has been many questions surrounding the starting lineup for the Trail Blazers, specifically, how they would score outside of Lillard. Although Henderson does giving something away in terms of shooting he knows how to manufacture scoring opportunities. He can deal with poor spacing and still be effective.

He is the safe bet to start alongside Dame in the backcourt, but more importantly he is probably the player most fit to do so.

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