Damian Lillard’s return to the Portland Trail Blazers has been a welcome sight around the league, especially considering his legacy with the franchise. While the move is expected to impact the team’s young core, particularly Scoot Henderson, NBA insider Zach Lowe shared a different perspective on his podcast.
In a recent episode of “The Zach Lowe Show”, he reported the enthusiasm shown by Henderson regarding Lillard’s signing. While discussing the sequence of events surrounding Lillard’s move, he said:
“The waive and stretch with Milwaukee happened, and right away, they were in contact. Fences were mended to the degree they needed to be mended. I think time has eased some of the wounds already. Scoot Henderson was clued in to what was going on to make sure he was cool with it.”
“What I’ve been told is he was super enthusiastic about it, not threatened at all. There was this undercurrent of ‘if I’m Scoot, I’m going to be angry. I’m going to be back on the bench.’ The guy is out for a year. Scoot’s gonna have all the runway in the world. And then we’ll see, can they play together, who starts, who comes off the bench.”
Lowe emphasized how beneficial the situation is for Henderson by pointing out the personnel he is surrounded with. He said:
“Scoot gets to learn from one of the best offensive point guards of all time, one of the best defensive point guards of all time, and has a Hall of Fame point guard as his head coach in Chauncey Billups. That’s a pretty good combo.”
When viewed in this light, the situation does have a lot of merit for the young Blazers guard. Being mentored by Lillard, who is expected to be more of an assistant coach next season as he recovers from injury, could be a pivotal opportunity for Henderson to sharpen his offensive game.
Playing alongside Jrue Holiday may also be a learning experience for the guard to develop the defensive aspect of his game. With the sheer quality of veteran talent at his disposal, Henderson stands a lot to gain if he can keep an open mind.
Last season, the 21-year-old averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on shooting splits of 41.9% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range.
Having played in 66 games last season, the guard saw a reduction in productivity due to reduced playing time. This dip in productivity raised some concerns about his growth trajectory.
In the right environment, as Portland is poised to have, Henderson is expected to take a big step in the right direction. With Anfernee Simons being traded to the Celtics, a vacancy in the starting lineup could create a clear opportunity for the 21-year-old to assume a larger role in the rotation.
