On January 1, the Portland Trail Blazers announced that Scoot Henderson has initiated non-contact, on-court basketball activities and would be re-evaluated in two weeks. We're now overdue for another update on the status of his lingering hamstring injury, which has been an unfortunate theme throughout the season.
Portland's original press release for Henderson's injury came on September 26, 2025: "Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson sustained a left hamstring tear during an off-season workout this week. Henderson will begin rehabilitation and is expected to return to basketball activities in 4-8 weeks. His status will be updated as appropriate."
Then, on September 30, general manager Joe Cronin said, via Rose Garden Report's Sean Highkin, that "the medical staff is telling him Scoot Henderson won't need surgery."
It's been 114 days since their initial announcement, which has Blazers fans wondering: What in the world is going on with Scoot Henderson?
What's going on with Scoot Henderson?
We don't think the front office or medical staff are intentionally misleading fans. But these estimated recovery timelines have been way off throughout the entire season, and it's gone well beyond just Scoot Henderson, as Portland has unfortunately been one of the most injury-riddled teams in the league.
At first, this was just a mysterious lingering injury, but it's been so long that it's starting to legitimately frustrate fans, and rightfully so. Hamstring injuries are particularly tricky, but why couldn't he have just been ruled out indefinitely when it became clear that this injury wasn't going away anytime soon?
The Blazers are right to take an overly cautious approach with his recovery. Henderson is still a key piece in Portland's rebuild, and his long-term health should, of course, take precedent over any short-term boost he can provide. The last thing they want to do is bring him back prematurely and risk reinjury. That's true under any circumstances, but especially given Portland's rebuilding timeline as a team with no realistic shot of a deep playoff run this season.
Still, we wish there were a little bit more transparency or accuracy when it comes to these estimated recovery timelines, and the majority of Blazers fans likely feel the same way.
Hopefully, we'll get some good news in the coming days, but this is starting to look like a situation where Blazers fans should assume the worst and be pleasantly surprised if and when there's ever a positive update.