It's that time of year when teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers - those aiming to climb the draft lottery odds rather than the standings - hand young players more and more minutes. Specifically in Portland's case, that means getting Scoot Henderson on the floor as much as possible.
That's proving to be difficult, though, as Scoot deals with an adductor injury and hasn't played since Feb. 16. Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups would normally turn to Malcolm Brogdon in this scenario. Instead, it's been more Delano Banton and Ashton Hagans soaking up backcourt minutes as Brogdon deals with right elbow tendonitis.
(Curiously, Billups has gone with wing-heavy lineups that feature a lot of Kris Murray, Toumani Camara and Matisse Thybulle with Scoot and Brogdon out rather than give Banton or Hagans 20- to 25-minutes per night.)
When will Brogdon get back on the floor, and most importantly, when will Henderson resume his role as Portland's starting point guard?
Latest injury update on Blazers' Scoot Henderson
This adductor injury came at an inopportune time for Henderson as Billups named him the starting point guard for the rest of the season just before the all-star break. He's missed all three games since.
Scoot was dealing with a minor injury that he tweaked during the Rising Stars Challenge. The team believes it's not serious, but they may be extra cautious with the rookie after Shaedon Sharpe was forced to have season-ending surgery for the same type of injury.
Latest update on Blazers' Malcolm Brogdon
Brogdon's elbow tendonitis is not as concerning, both because the issue appears to be less serious and the Blazers won't be in a hurry to rush him back while they let their young guys get the extra run.
According to the team, the 31-year-old is "making good progress in his recovery" and is getting closer to a return.
In the meantime, Billups seems content to get Murray more minutes, which is the right call. The 23-year-old has struggled in his rookie season and the Blazers need to see some improvement from him over the final third of the year.