After being regarded as the second-best prospect for most of the 2023 NBA Draft cycle, Scoot Henderson surprisingly, eventually fell into the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 3.
It was a then-win for Portland, who landed their point guard of the future shortly before a subsequent Damian Lillard trade, ushering them into a new era.
But Henderson’s career hasn’t gotten off to the start he, or many others, thought.
In his first five games, Henderson averaged just 8.8 points on an abysmal 35% shooting overall, hitting on just 10% of his 3-pointers. Even more, he averaged 4.6 assists per game, but a less-than-adequate 4.0 turnovers per game in the process.
Following that stint, the former Ignite standout sat out nine games due to a minor-esque ankle injury. And in his first game back Wednesday, he put up just three points on 1-for-7 shooting.
All-in-all, Henderson’s start hasn’t been great. But Sunday’s contest was a step in the right direction for a still-teenager with his entire career ahead of him.
In 27 minutes, Henderson scored a career-high 13 points, hitting on 50% of his shots overall and nailing three of his four 3-point attempts. Even more, he added four rebounds and one assist in helping the Trail Blazers in a competitive matchup versus Milwaukee.
It wasn’t a performance for the ages, but Henderson was perhaps visibly the most comfortable he’d looked yet on the NBA court. And it’s certainly a starting point for him to catapult to even stronger performances down the line.
Portland and Henderson next take on the Pacers at 6 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 27.
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