Scoot Henderson keeps getting chances with the Portland Trail Blazers, and he keeps slipping through them.
That reality sharpened again this week when the 22-year-old guard was bumped out of the starting lineup after a brief opening created by injuries to Shaedon Sharpe and newly acquired star Ja Morant. Henderson had been back in the first five, handed another shot to show he could be more than a long-view project for a team that has already spent years waiting on him.
Instead, the opportunity faded fast.
In five starts, his minutes shrank game by game. The shot never really came around, and the same issues that have followed him since his rookie season - shaky decision-making, turnovers, and inconsistent defense - were still there. The low point came in a November 6 loss to the Lakers, when he finished with two points, went 0-2 from the field, and committed five turnovers and five fouls.
The very next night, in a blowout loss to the Sacramento Spurs, he missed all five of his three-point attempts and posted a minus-23 plus/minus. By the next day, the Blazers had turned to Sidy Cissoko.
That switch mattered because Cissoko didn’t just fill the spot - he took it. The former G League Ignite teammate of Henderson and the 41st pick in the 2023 NBA draft immediately produced in his new role.
In back-to-back wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, he averaged more than 30 minutes a night, scoring 17 points on November 10 and 19 on November 11. He shot 5-for-14 in the first game and 6-for-9 in the second, including 4-of-7 from deep.
He also had eight fouls in both games, but only turned it over twice.
For Portland’s second starting guard while Morant is out, the assignment is pretty clear: don’t cough it up, and make the most of the chances that come with playing alongside Damian Lillard, Deni Advija, and a resurgent Toumani Camara. Cissoko did that right away. Henderson didn’t.
Henderson’s path to this point has been bumpy from the start. He entered the league in 2023 as a raw but heavily hyped prospect, expected to be part of the franchise’s next era after Damian Lillard was traded to Milwaukee.
When he failed to make a major leap in his second season, Portland added veteran guard Jrue Holiday. Last season brought another setback: a significant injury that limited Henderson to 30 games, while Holiday’s presence ate into his minutes.
Now in his fourth season and playing for his third coach, Henderson is again fighting for relevance in the rotation. The Blazers declined to exercise his fifth-year rookie option, which sets him up for restricted free agency after this season. This year was supposed to be his prove-it stretch, the one where he could build on the flashes he showed in last season’s playoff series with the San Antonio Spurs.
Instead, he’s been passed on the depth chart by a player from the same G League team, in the same draft class, who arrived with even less polish.
That’s the part that stings for Portland. Henderson’s energy and attitude have never been the issue.
He’s still young, and the tools are obvious enough. But the full package hasn’t come together.
He still struggles to finish at the rim, still racks up turnovers and fouls, and when the three isn’t falling, he can disappear from the box score.
The Blazers, meanwhile, are rolling at 8-3. Morant is expected back in a few weeks, and Sharpe should return later this season. If Henderson hasn’t carved out a real role by then, the window to prove he belongs in Portland’s future may close for good.
In Other News...
Blazers Trade Talk Around Scoot Just Got More Serious
Scoot Hendersons uneven start has only kept the conversation around Portlands backcourt moving, and now the speculation has widened into something more concrete. The idea floating around is a swap with Charlotte that would send Henderson one way and Naz Reid the other, a deal built around two players whose seasons have gone in very different directions so far.
For Portland, the appeal is easy to see: Hendersons talent is still part of the long-term picture, but the early returns have made every roster question feel bigger. Reids strong play has only sharpened the comparison, and while nothing official has been reported, the mere fact that this kind of trade is being discussed says plenty about where the Blazers are in sorting out their direction. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Suddenly Have A Depth Problem Joe Cronin Can't Ignore
The early-season injury pileup has left Portland searching for answers on the wing, and general manager Joe Cronin is already looking for help. With Vit Krejci sidelined by an ankle fracture, the Trail Blazers already thin rotation on the perimeter has gotten even harder to manage, forcing the front office to confront a problem that was easy to see coming but now feels urgent.
The roster has been stretched by injuries across the board, with the absences of players such as Krejci, Ja Morant, Shaedon Sharpe and Chris Youngblood exposing just how little margin Portland has at the position. Trade possibilities are already being weighed, including options with the Los Angeles Clippers, but the bigger issue is straightforward: the Blazers need another wing, and they need one before the lack of depth starts dictating how they can play. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Have One Chance To Silence Doubts In Sacramento
The early-season buzz around Portland has shifted quickly, and with an 8-3 start the Trail Blazers have gone from curiosity to a team people are starting to mention in the playoff conversation. Wins have helped change the tone around this group, and the mix of established talent and rising contributors has given the roster a more credible look than many expected this soon.
Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday have provided the kind of backbone that keeps Portland steady, while younger pieces like Toumani Camara and Sidy Cissoko have added to the sense that this start is not just a hot streak. Still, the Blazers know perception in the NBA can turn fast, and the trip to Sacramento offers a chance to keep building that case against a familiar Western Conference test. [Read more 🡒]