3 Portland Trail Blazers who are set up to fail this season
By Reese Kunz
2. Scoot Henderson
The Blazers have an extremely deep and underrated bench. Several bench players are defensive-minded, including Matisse Thybulle, Toumani Camara, Clingan, and Williams III. That's generally great for the Blazers, especially once they eventually return to the playoffs. However, it doesn't necessarily help bring out the best in Scoot Henderson's game, as there is a growing sense that Shaedon Sharpe will get the remaining starting guard spot alongside Anfernee Simons.
Offensively, Scoot's playmaking ability will benefit the other players who can't consistently generate their own shots. Defensively, the Blazers' wings and bigs off the bench will help cover for Scoot's defensive limitations, both in size and awareness, primarily due to his inexperience. But there's one glaring issue on offense with this second unit that could prevent Scoot from reaching his All-Star level potential: floor spacing.
Henderson isn't a great shooter, and many guards throughout the season will opt to go under screens when guarding him in pick-and-roll situations. The paint will already be congested because of this, but the lack of shooters surrounding him will only make life that much more difficult. Henderson is at his best when he's going downhill and utilizing his elite athleticism, but he may find that hard to come by with Portland's lack of three-point threats.
Head coach Chauncey Billups will give Henderson opportunities to spell Simons and Sharpe in the starting lineup. Still, their starters aren't much of an improvement as shooters, as evidenced by their dead-last finish in three-point percentage last season.
In the NFL, teams often add a veteran WR to make life easier for the young QB they drafted. Why couldn't the Blazers have done something similar this offseason, surrounding Henderson with a veteran shooter to help him transition into the NBA, especially after the up-and-down season he experienced as a rookie?
The Blazers have no desire to win too many games in 2024-25 as they seek a top draft pick next summer. They have no reason not to make Henderson one of their starters, whether that means moving Simons or Grant. But at the very least, they should have added more floor spacing to help Scoot play to his strengths.