Scoot Henderson has had his chances to take on the mantle as Portland’s point guard of the future. Is he out of time?
With a wealth of talent at the guard spots, did Scoot Henderson do enough to earn rotation minutes under Micah Nori? While he had chances to solidify himself as the future in Portland, his uneven play has left the door open for competitors to come in.
Starting with the most recent impression he left on the court, Henderson's postseason had high highs and very low lows. In game one, he was serviceable with 12 points. He broke out for a career playoff-high 31 in a sensational game two win. This game ended up being the Blazers' only win in the series. He shot 11-17 from the field and was a marksman from three, converting on 5-9 from beyond the arc.
Henderson stayed hot in game three, going off for 21 points, this time connecting on 5-10 from three-point land. After starting off strong, the Spurs overwhelmed the Blazers to close out a chippy game. Henderson couldn't get it done down the stretch. His direct matchup, Stephon Castle, got loose to close the game out and let Henderson hear about it.
That's when his heroics ended. The underwhelming game that followed spoke as loudly as the games when he excelled. In game four, he had 0 points and 0 rebounds on 0-7 from the field. This was a forgettable game where he was thoroughly outplayed by the Spurs' collection of guards.
He couldn't bounce back in game five either. He was held to 5 points on 2 field goals and no assists. Ending the season on that note could serve as motivation for the young guard who did show flashes at times. But the reinforcements have been brought in to take over the guard spots on the team. Ja Morant via trade and a returning Damian Lillard are favorites to start. The always reliable Jrue Holiday has also just gotten a glowing endorsement from Nori, which could indicate Henderson could be seeing some DNPs. Especially considering the endlessly athletic Shaedon Sharpe is still on the roster. With these options on the roster, getting shut out in one playoff game and being a non-factor in another could really come back to haunt Henderson. He had his chance to prove his value before the backcourt became so loaded with veterans.
In a limited sample size of 30 games, Henderson posted a career-high 14.2 points per game last season. In his uneven playoff run, he was up to 15 points a game. We'll see if he gets a chance to run it back.
