It took just 1 game for Scoot Henderson to bring back the Blazers' worries

Scoot Henderson was expected to be the face of the Portland Trail Blazers' rebuild. At one point, there was a legitimate conversation about whether the Charlotte Hornets messed up when deciding to take Brandon Miller over Henderson as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. That debate has died down as expectations surrounding Henderson's role in the Blazers' rebuilding plans have significantly tempered.

With Shaedon Sharpe being ruled out of the season opener (and likely at least the next six games) with a labral tear in his left shoulder, the reaction after processing the unfortunate injury for a player who could still be on the verge of a breakout season when he returns, was that Henderson is now entrenched as the Blazers' fifth starter.

Billups decided to start Camara over Henderson

The locks heading into the 2024-25 season were Anfernee Simons, Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant, and Deandre Ayton. The question mark throughout the offseason was largely which guard position Simons would play, barring a major trade that could still happen at some point before February's trade deadline. However, the debate was between Sharpe and Henderson as Portland's fifth starter, not Henderson and Toumani Camara.

Head coach Chauncey Billups elected to start Camara as the final starter, making Simons the point guard and primary offensive initiator and bringing Henderson off the bench in a sixth-man role. It remains to be seen whether this was due to the matchup against the Golden State Warriors and Billups wanted Camara in the starting lineup to help contain superstar Stephen Curry or if this is the starting five going forward, at least until Sharpe returns.

The starters largely held their own to begin the season opener, as the Blazers finished the first quarter tied 21-21. Things fell apart in the second quarter, getting outscored 41-29, and it only went downhill from there. At halftime, it seemed inevitable that the Warriors would run away with this game as the more talented team, but the Blazers' starting five provided reason for optimism early on.

Blazers' blowout loss spiraled when Scoot was in

It wasn't until Henderson checked in for the first time that things seemed to be on a downward spiral. Scoot finished with 22 points to go along with four assists, four rebounds, and two turnovers. But he also finished with the worst plus-minus on the team at -30, which is something Portland is unfortunately all too familiar with, as he finished with the worst plus-minus in NBA history his rookie season (-58).

Plus-minus isn't a very telling stat and can be misleading at times due to various factors, but there has to be cause for concern at a certain point. Although Henderson was the Blazers' leading scorer, he was inefficient from the field (7-18), missed all five of his three-point attempts, and failed to record a steal or block.

It's an unfair overreaction to only call out Scoot in a 35-point blowout loss for which multiple players are responsible. We knew there would be more growing pains with Henderson after his up-and-down rookie season. He showed some encouraging signs, particularly his ability to get to the rim and free throw line, where he made eight of his nine attempts.

The Blazers shouldn't push the panic button yet, just one game into the season, but it's certainly something to monitor as 2024-25 progress, especially given his track record from last year.

Henderson's next opportunity to showcase his hopeful offseason improvements will be Friday, October 25, against the New Orleans Pelicans. Unfortunately, they will be down a key lockdown defender in newly acquired Dejounte Murray, who reportedly fractured his left hand in his Pelicans debut, which is awful news for both Murray and New Orleans.