Scoot Henderson was demoted back to a bench role in the Portland Trail Blazers' early Saturday matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. Some have advocated for Henderson to take on a full-time starting gig, sharing the backcourt with Jrue Holiday. Unfortunately, Scoot hasn't helped his case with his concerning play as of late. In Portland's 109-93 loss to Charlotte, he finished with eight points and four assists in 23 minutes, shooting an inefficient 3-of-12 from the field and missing on all seven of his three-point attempts.
Scoot had a strong return from injury, showcasing improvements in his defense and shooting. However, he's regressed in the shooting department after a rough stretch, going 2-for-24 (8.3%) from downtown in his last four games. On the season, Henderson's averages have now dipped to 13.6 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.3 turnovers per game on 42/28/87 shooting splits. This absolutely has to be concerning for the Blazers.
Scoot Henderson's shooting struggles continue for Portland
Scoot was expected to be Portland's prized possession in their rebuild, given the No. 3 overall draft investment. We must be patient with his development, as it's possible he could still return value on that pick. Though it's a fine line to navigate, as the Blazers' biggest question marks lie in their backcourt.
Whether he's ready for the challenge or not, this is a make-or-break stretch for Scoot to earn the keys to that backcourt. He's not rising to the occasion, particularly with Portland's offense relying on him more with Deni Avdija (back) and Shaedon Sharpe (calf) sidelined.
The fact that Scoot's poor play came against an up-and-coming Hornets team was poetic in a sense. For one, there's the obvious connection between Brandon Miller and Henderson, given their draft ties in the 2023 class. Miller finished with 26 points, proving he'd be a better fit for Portland's roster that lacks shooting after drilling six of his 12 attempts from deep.
But there's also a deeper theme: how these two teams have constructed their rebuilds.
Blazers' veterans are masking a bigger Scoot Henderson problem
Charlotte's long-term outlook seems more promising because of how they win, relying on a young trio of LaMelo Ball, Miller, and rookie Kon Knueppel to do the heavy lifting. The fact that they depend so much on their youth is an encouraging sign for their future ceiling, as they will only get better as these key pieces continue to grow.
Portland's ceiling feels different from Charlotte's because of how much they rely on veterans like Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant, Robert Williams III, and Matisse Thybulle for success. Keeping these veterans around has masked the flaws in Portland's young core.
The Blazers still have reason for optimism with Deni Avdija's star ascension and Donovan Clingan's second-year breakout, but that doesn't change the underlying problem in their roster construction. It's also why Portland would've been better off moving some of its veterans.
By prioritizing their youth, Portland would face a win-win situation. Either they are ready for a playoff push thanks to their young core, or they fall short and can add more significantly to it in the draft. They're currently straddling the line by mixing youth with too many veterans, which is limiting their rebuilding ceiling. The Blazers are accelerating their rebuild around a young core that isn't ready to contend. They don't have the top five draft picks to build around like the Hornets, and the difference in youth between the two teams was apparent in the loss.
That presents a challenge for Portland going forward, and it starts with Henderson, their only top-five pick, who has yet to meet expectations. Hopefully, he's able to break out of this slump because Portland's ceiling is closely tied to Henderson's.