Scoot Henderson had a rollercoaster second season with the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 12.7 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds on 42/35/77 shooting splits. Fortunately for the Blazers, Scoot's year was filled with more highs than lows, as we gave him a B- grade on the season. However, going forward, the one thing Henderson needs to work on is consistency.
The version of Henderson that Portland got honestly varied by possession. At times, he looked much more poised compared to his rocky rookie season, making better decisions and playing with more change of pace. But then he'd follow that up with plays that reminded you he's just 21 years old, and the Blazers need to be patient with his development.
Blazers won't have backcourt clarity until Scoot Henderson is more consistent
The Blazers desperately need Henderson to become a more consistent and reliable piece in their rebuilding puzzle. Their frontcourt is all but solidified after the trades for Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija, as well as the selection of Donovan Clingan. But Portland's backcourt still has more questions than answers heading into this pivotal offseason.
Ideally, Henderson would be a surefire starter for the Blazers, allowing them to move on from Anfernee Simons more comfortably, but that's not reality. Portland will have to make their Simons decision with a somewhat limited view of what Henderson will become.
But to be fair, part of that is also their own doing. Henderson's efficiency and impact on winning may have increased in his second season, but his minutes and usage rate surprisingly declined. The Blazers need to help Henderson become more consistent by figuring out what exactly his role is in the offense.
It gets murkier now that Deni Avdija has become more of a go-to option as a point forward. But Avdija still needs someone else to step up to take some of that playing burden off him. And of Portland's players currently on their roster, the best bet to do so is Henderson.
The issue, however, is that the Blazers are determined to make a playoff push as soon as next season. We know Henderson can be that missing piece for stretches, but whether he can do it reliably throughout each game is a larger problem that has yet to be solved.
This year has been an overall success as Henderson has addressed areas he needed to improve, including his turnovers, three-point shooting, finishing, and defense. Those should continue to trend in the right direction as Scoot gains more experience, especially since guards typically take longer to develop.
What will separate Henderson from being a good to great player is whether he can put it all together on a more consistent basis. The Blazers need Henderson to be great for the sake of their rebuild, as he's the one player they invested the most draft capital into.