Some prematurely wrote Scoot Henderson off as a bust after a rookie season that failed to meet sky-high expectations associated with being a No. 3 overall pick. But now in his third season, we have a large enough sample size to say that the Blazers may have, in fact, drafted a bust in 2023.
It's a fine line as we must continue to stress patience with a 22-year-old guard still adjusting to life in the NBA. At the same time, he's yet to show substantial progress, suggesting this may be the player he is for the remainder of his career.
Blazers may have drafted the bust of the 2023 draft
It's already become apparent that Portland's rebuild would've been better off taking the 2023 draft in another direction. The Thompson twins would've been perfect fits for Portland's defensive identity, while other guard options in the class are having breakout seasons.
Henderson won't return value on the Blazers' No. 3 overall pick, but now we must redefine expectations for the young guard. He's currently averaging a career-low 11.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting an inefficient 36% from the field and 23.4% from beyond the arc.
Henderson is still trying to get back to speed after a hamstring tear sidelined him for the majority of the season. However, it's also difficult to give him the benefit of the doubt, as these issues were prevalent in the past two seasons prior to injury.
Blazers can no longer build around Scoot Henderson
Henderson still has a role to play in Portland's rebuild, but he should no longer be considered a building block. This was his time to prove that he deserves the keys to the backcourt, and he's become an afterthought in the offensive hierarchy -- even with Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe sidelined.
Portland's Jrue Holiday is helping mitigate the blow as he's giving them much more in the playmaking and shot-creation departments. But that's also asking a lot from a 35-year-old guard with an injury history.
Henderson can't be relied on as their starting point guard of the future, which by definition is a bust, as that's nowhere close to returning value to the player Portland invested in.
He was the one they spent the highest draft capital on and the one they essentially picked Damian Lillard's timeline over, with Portland's superstar requesting a trade after they drafted his "replacement." Those were virtually impossible shoes to fill, but the expectations surrounding Portland's Henderson pick continue to shrink by the day.
His on-ball defense, playmaking, and athleticism should be enough to stick around in the league. But until his three-level scoring becomes more efficient and he finds a way to clean up his turnovers, Scoot is going to be nothing but an afterthought in this rebuild.
That's a drastic decline in just three seasons, going from the face of the rebuild to an afterthought, but that's where we are after two disappointing seasons, followed up by the most underwhelming stretch of his career at the most inopportune time.