The Portland Trail Blazers have gone through a strange season in the NBA this year. Before the season started, they had their coach suspended for his alleged role in an illegal poker game. Injuries have played a part in their season, too.
Scoot Henderson has not played yet this season. Before the year started, Henderson was diagnosed with a left hamstring injury. He was initially given a timetable of four to six weeks at the start of the year. It’s now 2026, and Henderson still hasn’t played a single game.
Without Henderson, the Blazers sit 10th in the Western Conference standings. Recently, Portland was given some good news when it comes to his progress in coming back from that injury.
GettyPortland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson dribbles the ball. (Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)
Trail Blazers Get Positive Injury News on Scoot Henderson
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Henderson has started non-contact basketball activities on the court. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks once he completes this step of his rehab. Portland will still be without him for a while.
This year is viewed as a critical year for Henderson. As the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Portland was hoping to find out this year if he has a shot to develop into a superstar. Instead, they have yet to get him out on the court.
The Trail Blazers made it a goal to make the playoffs this season after they fell just short of the play-in a year ago. This year, they wanted to get some postseason experience for the young guys on the roster. Henderson was supposed to help them do that.
Without Henderson, the Blazers have just the 19th-best defense in the NBA. They ended the last month of the year last season with a top-five defense. Henderson is a solid defender, so not having him has hurt their defense.
GettyPortland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson looks on. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Scoot Henderson’s Future in Portland is at Stake
So far in his career, Henderson has had a major problem staying healthy. 66 games is the most he’s played in his career, and he won’t sniff that this season. Durability is the biggest thing holding him back from blossoming into a star player. His jump shooting needs some work, too.
If the Blazers don’t play better when Henderson returns, Henderson’s future in Portland could be in trouble. The Trail Blazers could be looking to move on from him if he ends up getting hurt again later this season or if he doesn’t show any sort of improvement from last year.
Portland still has an opportunity to make the play-in and give its guys some meaningful games to play in at the end of the season. The entire Portland team is still very young. Offensively, Portland has the seventh-worst offense in the league.
Adding Henderson back into the fold is what’s best for the long-term future of the organization. They need to determine if he is a core piece of the franchise moving forward.
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