Why Blazers fans should panic: Shooting
His jumper has been a question mark for years. He made just 14 of his 51 3-point attempts last season for the G League Ignite. Henderson struggles on pull-up jumpers and was inconsistent in the mid-range. He cannot just strictly be a finisher at the rim if he wants to become a superstar.
The 19-year-old is taking more threes this season, but they aren’t failing. He is just 18 of 72 in his first 19 games, which is 25.0 percent. All of his mid-range percentages start with a three, and Scoot is even shooting just 27.3 percent on corner 3-pointers.
Russell Westbrook has a career 3-point percentage of 30.4, so it is not necessary to be an elite shooter. The nine-time All-Star was named one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history, but he has never won a championship. Scoot wants to win and must improve his jumper to do so.
Teams will keep daring him to shoot if Henderson does not make them pay. The 19-year-old gets the ball out quickly and continues to work on his shot. It may take a few more tweaks, but becoming even a 32 percent 3-point shooter would be a vast improvement.
If Scoot Henderson doesn’t consistently knock down jumpers, the Portland Trail Blazers must build a specific team around him. One that maximizes floor spacing and can play to his strengths. They don’t want to do that, so expect his shooting to be a massive focus from year one to his sophomore campaign.