Tuesday's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers is the biggest game of the season for the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland is 1.5 games back from Los Angeles for the eighth seed, and with just six games remaining, the outcome of this one should determine whether that's realistically attainable.
Not only are the Blazers at a disadvantage playing on the road, but they'll also have to overcome injuries to key players. It remains to be seen if Shaedon Sharpe or Jerami Grant will be back in time for the Play-In Tournament, as both players are sidelined with calf injuries. Portland will have to make up for nearly 40 lost points between its two score-first players.
Unfortunately, their roster is not well-equipped to fill the void, as they have so many defensive-minded pieces. That hasn't been much of an issue recently, given how easy Portland's strength of schedule has been. Part of the reason they are in this position to steal the eighth seed in the first place is that they've won seven of the last ten games, many of which were blowouts against tanking teams.
They won't be able to mask the flaws of their depleted roster down the stretch and will need to find help in unexpected areas. One player in particular they'll need to step up in an increased offensive role is Scoot Henderson.
Scoot Henderson is about to make or break the Blazers' season
Overall, Henderson has had a productive March, averaging 14.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. The three-point shooting is encouraging, but Henderson will need to find a way to become a more consistent option for Portland to finish out the season.
His averages are also inflated by his standout performances against these tanking teams. Henderson has eclipsed 20 points four times this month, and those games came against Indiana, Utah, Milwaukee, and, most recently, Washington. He needs to prove he can play to the level of competition, as the Blazers have no choice but to rely on him for production down the stretch.
Without Sharpe and Grant, Henderson recorded seven assists against the Wizards as he became more of a focal point of the offense, starting in the backcourt alongside Jrue Holiday. The rest of Portland's starting lineup has been playing at a high level all season. Still, I'm not sure there's another level that guys like Toumani Camara or Donovan Clingan can reach to step up their offensive production in Sharpe and Grant's absence. That's why Henderson will be the piece that makes or breaks this end-of-season playoff push for Portland. There's a much wider gap between how he's played and his talent level, and the Blazers will need him to close it before the season ends.
These final six games will be crucial not only for their postseason chances but also for evaluating Henderson and whether he should be considered a legitimate building block in Portland. We didn't see that at the start of the season due to his injury, but now it's Henderson's time to step up for this team.