Portland Trail Blazers point guard Scoot Henderson had high expectations entering his rookie year as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. It was a relatively disappointing season, highlighted by the fact that Henderson missed out on both NBA All-Rookie Team selections.
It won't be a linear progression with Scoot, but there were some positive takeaways from his rookie season, such as his much-improved end-of-season stretch following the All-Star break. Still only 20 years old, Henderson has plenty of time to develop critical aspects of his game to reach that high ceiling that made him a top draft prospect.
1. Three-point shooting
In the 2023-24 season, Scoot averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 3.4 turnovers on 39/33/82 shooting splits. From those stats alone, there are two glaring improvements that the Blazers guard will have to make as he continues to develop his game in the NBA. One of which is his shooting efficiency, specifically his three-point shooting.
The average for an NBA point guard to shoot from beyond the arc is 35.2 percent. At 32.5 percent on 4.3 attempts a game last season, Henderson is considered a below-average three-point shooter for his position. Shooting isn't a strength at this point in his career, but it's incredibly early on in his career, and he seems committed to improving that aspect of his game.
If he wants to become an All-Star level point guard, then Henderson needs to be, at the very least, a league-average shooter. Consider the point guards to receive an All-Star selection last season: Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Trae Young, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton. None of them finished the season below the league average in three-point percentage, and both Curry and Brunson shot over 40 percent.
The NBA has evolved to emphasize shooting and floor spacing now more than ever. Henderson needs to develop into a consistent three-level scorer if he wants to be the face of the Blazers' franchise.