Deni Avdija remains sidelined with a lower back injury, while Shaedon Sharpe is at risk of missing the remainder of the season due to a stress reaction of the left fibula. Meanwhile, Scoot Henderson has finally returned from a lingering hamstring tear that he suffered during an offseason workout.
There was so much anticipation for Henderson to build off a promising 2024-25 campaign, as he was showing legitimate signs of progress prior to his untimely injury. This was considered a make-or-break season for Henderson, and that window became wide open with Portland's two highest scorers now out.
It could be now or never for Scoot to earn the keys to the backcourt, as it's only going to get more difficult next season with Damian Lillard's return and potentially Portland's incoming rookie. The Blazers have a core five emerging between Henderson, Sharpe, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan. However, Henderson is the only one yet to earn his spot as a legitimate building block. That's become even more questionable as of late, with his inability to take on an increased role in Portland's offense.
Blazers must explore other long-term solutions at point guard
When he first came back from injury, Henderson was showing signs of becoming a 3-and-D piece -- and an unexpected development considering shooting and defense were two areas of concern after a historically bad rookie campaign. His on-ball defense continues to stand out, but unfortunately, Henderson has come back down to Earth as a shooter.
In fact, he's shooting a career-low 23.4% from beyond the arc in 12 games this season. With a limited sample size, his numbers have been skewed by a rough stretch, to put it gently. In his last seven games, Scoot is shooting 5-of-38 (13.2%) from beyond the arc.
While he has plenty of time to right the ship as a 22-year-old guard, it's not ideal timing as this was his best opportunity to claim his place in Portland's offensive hierarchy.
This entire season hasn't gone as planned, with the Blazers among the most injured teams in the league. The silver lining to that has been players stepping up in expanded roles. This was Scoot's time to shine in that scenario, yet he's come up short so far.
The poor shooting, turnovers, and inability to get downhill relative to expectations have combined to become a collective red flag. With Holiday and Lillard nearing the end of their careers and Henderson failing to show Portland enough to feel confident in him as the long-term answer at point guard, the Blazers have no choice but to continue addressing the position this summer.
It's possible Henderson can turn things around for their end-of-season playoff push, but this recent stretch has been far too concerning for them to overlook, despite how the rest of the year plays out. There have been too many red flags in the past few years for them to ignore.