If the Portland Trail Blazers want to make a serious NBA Finals push at any point in the next decade, they need Scoot Henderson to take a Jalen Brunson-esque leap. Brunson was a solid role player on the Dallas Mavericks, but once he earned more chances with the New York Knicks, he blossomed into a superstar.
Perhaps Henderson doesn’t have what it takes to become what Brunson has become. And he won’t have the benefit of earning substantially more opportunities because of a trade. But that doesn’t mean he can’t take the leap. That doesn’t mean he can’t go from solid role player to star, because that’s what Portland drafted him to be.
The Blazers need Henderson to take a good, long look at what Brunson is doing and find a way to get there (or close) himself.
Blazers need Scoot Henderson to take a Jalen Brunson leap
What Brunson is doing for the Knicks this year is absolutely incredible. He’s been awesome, and that’s a wild understatement. Brunson has the Knicks one game away from an NBA Championship.
After leaving the Mavs, he’s blossomed into one of the NBA’s best scorers, best players, and clutchest players, all rolled into one. It’s been absolutely amazing to watch.
Henderson has dealt with some injury issues early in his career, but even when he’s been on the court, he hasn’t been able to turn himself into what most fans may have expected when Portland picked him third overall.
That said, Handerson has shown significant flashes of some of the star talent the Blazers saw in him to make him the No. 3 pick. Even in this year’s playoffs, he had some big games.
Henderson had an 18-point game, a 31-point game, and then a 21-point game against the San Antonio Spurs in the Blazers’ five-game, first-round loss, showing that he can be a solid scorer in spurts.
And Brunson showed that same talent early in his career. Before leaving for New York, he helped the Mavs take down the Utah Jazz in a playoff series, and Luka Doncic wasn’t even available in every game.
That was the first inkling of Brunson being the star he would soon become. Perhaps the 2026 playoffs were the first bit of potential Henderson showed off past his role-player-type regular-season performances.
If Henderson can take a leap even somewhere close to the one Brunson has enjoyed during his time in New York, then the Blazers may have a real shot at taking down the powerhouses in the West.
Or, at the very least, they’ll be in the conversation to.
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