Scoot Henderson's rocky rookie season was concerning for Portland Trail Blazers fans, especially as other top picks like Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller, and Amen Thompson thrived. The Blazers have had more than their fair share of unfortunate draft picks throughout their franchise history. Was the 2023 draft the latest example of that?
It's still too early to tell, given that Henderson is just 21 years old. However, there have been promising signs in his second year that suggest the Blazers still have their long-term starting point guard in Henderson. Point guard is the most challenging position in the NBA to learn, and Henderson just needs more experience to grasp all the nuances that come with it.
Scoot Henderson’s second-year progress keeps him on track with other undersized guards in the NBA
Bryce Simon joined Sam Vecenie of The Athletic on The Game Theory Podcast, where the two discussed sophomores around the league. Vecenie notes that Scoot's improvement in his second year keeps him on pace with other young, undersized guards developing in the NBA.
"I am relatively positive about him right now. He's a 21-year-old guard who literally just turned 21 two weeks ago, figuring it out in the NBA. It takes forever with small guards," said Vecenie. "There is one small guard one-and-done player in the last decade who has been good as a rookie. It's Trae Young. It takes these guys forever to figure it out, and that's ok."
Henderson's overall numbers don't scream improvement. In his rookie season, he averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 3.4 turnovers on 39/33/82 shooting splits. This year, he's averaging 12.4 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 2.6 turnovers on 43/36/79 shooting splits.
Those are very similar numbers, but Henderson is playing more efficiently, considering his minutes (26.6) and usage rate (21.3) are down this year, as Portland isn't doing a great job of prioritizing their young core.
People were too quick to write Henderson off as a bust after he failed to make an All-Rookie team despite being the No. 3 overall pick. The concerns surrounded the fact that he wasn't as elite of an athlete as many thought entering the league, as well as red flags in key areas, including turnovers, three-point shooting, and on-ball defense.
Henderson has addressed some of those concerns in his second season. He's limited his turnovers and become a league-average three-point shooter for his position. The eye test suggests he's gotten much better at shifting gears and learning to play better with varied paces instead of constantly going full speed.
Henderson is still on the path to be Portland's much-needed star, but it will take time.