Scoot Henderson is getting the kind of runway that can change a season - and maybe a future.
With Ja Morant sidelined by a hamstring injury last week, the assumption was that Jrue Holiday would slide into the Trail Blazers’ starting five. Instead, head coach Micah Nori turned to Henderson, saying he wanted to keep Holiday’s minutes under control. That decision gives Henderson a major opening after he passed on a rookie scale extension before last month’s deadline, leaving him eligible for restricted free agency in the 2027 offseason.
Portland drafted Henderson third overall in 2023 with big expectations for the former G League Ignite guard, but the first three years have been rough, with injuries and inconsistency chipping away at his standing in the team’s long-term plans. Now, with a starting job in front of him for the next several weeks, he has a chance to make a case that he can still be the Blazers’ point guard of the future, as Jason Quick of The Athletic put it.
Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report and Joe Freeman of The Oregonian both hit the same theme in their coverage: this is a make-or-break stretch. Highkin called it “sink-or-swim” time for Henderson and noted that Nori wants the fourth-year guard to simplify things on offense and stop overthinking. Freeman reported that Nori told Henderson the team believes in him and wants him focused on playing “the right way.”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Nori said of his message to the point guard. “We need you to guard your butt off on defense.
We don’t care how many shots you miss … just continue to play the right way. Go until they stop you.
And when they stop you, pass the ball.
“… There’s no one harder on Scoot than Scoot himself. So it’s almost like, I don’t want him to dwell on the negative.
I want him to look at the positive. And the other thing is, I don’t want him to overthink and try to be an orchestrator.
I want Scoot to be Scoot. Just play.”
Elsewhere around the Northwest, the Thunder have already had to absorb a heavy injury hit. Missing Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace, Oklahoma City lost two straight after opening the season 4-0. Veteran center Isaiah Hartenstein said Monday the team had worked through the emotional side of those absences and was ready to keep moving, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“I’m not going to lie: it’s a human part to it,” Hartenstein said. “I think we lose that many guys and don’t have the depth that we kind of had in those years past.
… Those two games did kind of take a toll a little bit. But I think that we’re just ready to move on, and I’m excited for what we can keep improving on.
I’m excited to be going forward.”
Soon after, Oklahoma City got back on track with a 117-112 win over Cleveland, powered by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s season-high 43 points.
In Denver, Nikola Jokic’s start has been quieter than usual. Through six games, his scoring is down to 22.0 points per game, his shooting numbers have dipped to .472 from the field and .226 from three, and his turnovers have climbed to 3.8 per game.
Mark Kiszla raised concerns about the slow opening in two stories for The Denver Gazette, while Bennett Durando of The Denver Post noted that the Nuggets are losing Jokic’s minutes so far and have posted just a 112.9 offensive rating with him on the floor. That number was 126.1 last season and 125.6 in 2024/25.
Nuggets coach David Adelman also had a family note to share, telling Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette about bringing his sister Kathy Adelman onto the staff as a special assistant. “Away from the court, obviously, we’re family, but she’s a hell of a coach,” David said.
“… She should be coaching in college or professionally. She’s that good.
We’re lucky to have her.”
In Other News...
Blazers Finally Delivered The Kind Of Denver Win Fans Needed
For a franchise that had spent so long running into the same wall in Denver, this was the kind of road win Portland had been waiting to see. The Trail Blazers beat the Nuggets 118-110, finally snapping an 18-game regular season losing streak in Denver and doing it with a second-half surge that changed the feel of the night.
Portland outscored Denver by 16 points after halftime, and the balance of the win mattered as much as the result itself. Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard all played key roles in pushing the Blazers through, while Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic carried Denvers offense but could not keep the home team from slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers May Be Closer To A Win-Now Swing Than Fans Think
The early-season stumble in Utah has already started to ripple beyond the Jazz, and Portland is one of the teams watching closely. With the Jazz off to a 1-5 start and dealing with injuries, the conversation around Lauri Markkanen is no longer just about a talented scorer on a rebuilding roster. It is also about whether a team like the Trail Blazers, who have been searching for the right kind of swing, might see an opening before the February trade deadline.
For Portland, the appeal is easy to see. Markkanen would fit into the kind of forward-thinking move that could accelerate a reset without forcing the Blazers to abandon the long view entirely. Golden State has also been mentioned in the same breath, which only underscores how much interest a player of his caliber could draw if Utah decides to listen. The real question is not whether Markkanen would make sense for Portland, but whether the Jazz are ready to make a call that changes the market. [Read more 🡒]
Donovan Clingan Just Gave Blazers Fans Real Reason To Believe
A road win in Denver is the kind of result that gets Portlands attention in a hurry, and Donovan Clingan was right in the middle of it. The rookie big man handled a heavy workload against Nikola Jokic, giving the Trail Blazers a physical interior presence while also chipping in 17 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks in 32 minutes.
For a Portland team that has opened 5-1, the encouraging part is not just the win itself but the way Clingan helped shape it against one of the leagues toughest matchups. He finished with the best plus-minus among the starters at plus-10, a sign that his impact went well beyond the box score and into the kind of two-way stability the Blazers have been searching for. [Read more 🡒]