Scoot Henderson receives injury update ahead of Blazers vs Kings
Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Scoot Henderson got an injury update ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Kings
Now, the Blazers say that Henderson will not suit up against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
It makes sense that the Blazers are being cautious with Henderson’s ankle. The team’s not looking for wins in the first year of a rebuild. But there is still a cost with Henderson missing time. This season is all about reps for the Blazers’ young players in the post-Damian Lillard era. With Anfernee Simons also set to miss 4-6 weeks with a torn thumb ligament, minutes were available for Henderson to work through his early-season adjustment period.
Henderson has struggled in several key areas this season. Turnovers, fouls, finishing at the rim, and 3-point shooting have all been issues. In his 28 minutes per game, Henderson is averaging 8.8 points on 34.6 percent shooting. He’s hitting just 9.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. He turns the ball over four times a night. He commits four fouls per game.
These are concerning numbers, but Henderson has already shown fairly dramatic improvement from game-to-game. After having his ‘welcome to the NBA’ moment on opening night against the Clippers, Henderson has shown a better understanding of how to get to his spots using his explosive speed. He still needs to figure out what to do once he gets there, but he’s already looking more comfortable.
It’s possible that the Blazers are using the schedule to their advantage. After Wednesday’s game against the Kings, Portland doesn’t play again until next Sunday. Giving Henderson Wednesday off buys him almost another week of recovery time.
The Trail Blazers take on the Kings from Sacramento Wednesday night at 7pm.
