The Portland Trail Blazers signed guard Blake Wesley to round out their 15-man roster for the 2025-26 season. With Anfernee Simons out of the picture and Damian Lillard expected to miss the entire season as he recovers from his Achilles injury, Portland suddenly has very few traditional point guards and overall playmakers on its roster.
Jrue Holiday will fill some of that void, and could even be the Blazers' starting point guard to open the season. Their starting five remains to be seen, with Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan appearing to be the only "locks". Regardless of what Chauncey Billups decides to do in that aspect, one thing has become apparent: the Blazers will rely on Scoot Henderson and give him an increased role in Year 3.
Portland is giving Scoot Henderson every chance to break out
General manager Joe Cronin could've decided to add a more traditional point guard with the Blazers' final roster spot. Instead, Portland took a low-risk flier on Wesley. That's a worthwhile move, as Wesley is just 22 years old and a former first-round pick worthy of giving another shot in the league to see if he can return to the player he was at Notre Dame. But he's also more of a project player, as evidenced by his 3.7 points per game and the fact that the Washington Wizards, of all teams, decided to waive him. And even if Wesley does pan out, his upside comes more as an off-ball guard who can be a defensive pest out on the perimeter with his 6-foot-9 wingspan and athleticism.
Defense was a theme for the Blazers this offseason, most notably swapping Simons for Holiday. That identity should ultimately translate to postseason success. But one must wonder if Portland swung the pendulum too far in that direction. They aren't a balanced enough team, and their offense will struggle next season.
Holiday averaged just 3.9 assists and had a 15.9 percent usage rate last season with the Boston Celtics. Avdija will help address some of Portland's playmaking concerns with an increased role in his second year with the Blazers. But it will ultimately come down to Scoot to right the ship.
You can make a case that Shaedon Sharpe is Portland's best bet to become an All-Star outside of Avdija. But Portland's lack of star power is more of a down-the-road problem that they eventually need to solve to prevent a limited playoff ceiling. The more pressing issue, which could result in a disappointing 2025-26 season, is the Blazers' lack of playmaking. That's where Scoot needs to come in.
Portland was already just an average offense last season and lost some of its best scorers in Deandre Ayton, Simons, and yes, even Dalano Banton this summer. Where are those 41 points going to come from each game?
Henderson must improve his shot and become a more consistent scorer to bridge the gap. However, the Blazers' offense is a bigger issue beyond just one player's improvement. From that standpoint, Henderson must also become their facilitator to help generate easy looks for these defensive-minded players.
The Blazers may have invested too much on the defensive end, but it was by design. They think Henderson is ready to take on an increased role and become one of their primary offensive initiators. Time will tell if that's the case.