Scoot Henderson has suffered a left hamstring tear during an offseason workout. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that Henderson is now expected to return to basketball activities in four to eight weeks. That's unfortunate timing, with Portland's regular season beginning on October 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The estimated recovery timeline makes it likely he will miss the beginning of the season. Henderson being out steals key development time and makes it even more challenging to become a starter. While the number of games missed may not ultimately reflect this relative to an 82-game season, this could be a massive setback in a pivotal year for him.
Scoot Henderson's injury could derail breakout season
It makes life easier for Chauncey Billups in terms of deciding the starting lineup, as he now has six viable options, with the final two starting spots likely coming down to Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant, and Shaedon Sharpe. But a simpler starting lineup decision for Billups doesn't mean a better outcome -- this will be devastating for the Blazers.
When Fred VanVleet unfortunately went down with a torn ACL, we wrote about how injuries could potentially expose Portland's fatal flaw, which is their lack of backcourt depth. Shortly after, that nightmare scenario became a reality for Portland.
The Blazers don't have a single traditional point guard on their roster outside of Henderson. They'll have to rely on the likes of Holiday and point forward Deni Avdija to initiate offense. With Henderson being out, it would be surprising if Portland didn't start Holiday to get more ball-handling and playmaking in the starting unit.
This very scenario was a concern that ESPN's Kevin Pelton recently raised when he named Portland's point guard depth as their biggest roster hole.
"With Damian Lillard spending his first season back in Portland on the sidelines because of an Achilles tear, the Blazers don't have ideal options behind Scoot Henderson and newcomer Jrue Holiday. If either misses time, Portland might be better off using Deni Avdija as a point forward instead of reclamation project Blake Wesley," Pelton wrote.
The Blazers' lack of depth in the backcourt seemed to be by design, as they wanted to give Henderson an increased role. All signs were pointing towards a breakout season for their third-year guard. It was perfect timing, too, as Lillard's gap year gave Portland an entire year to evaluate Henderson and determine if he's their true point guard of the future.
That breakout season and much-needed backcourt clarity could still happen for Henderson and the Blazers. But unfortunately, it'll have to wait. And when he returns, Henderson will be back to square one, fighting for a starting spot on a team that was finally set to prioritize him.