Blazers Reportedly 'Pleased' by Scoot Henderson's Development in 2nd NBA Season

Two years after investing the No. 3 overall draft pick in Scoot Henderson, the Portland Trail Blazers are encouraged by his developmental trajectory.

Per The Athletic's Sam Vecenie, the Blazers are "pleased" with the way Henderson played in the second half of this season.

Henderson's scoring average dipped slightly to 12.7 points per game in 2024-25, compared to 14.0 during his rookie campaign. His efficiency was much better this season with a 41.9 field-goal percentage and 35.4 percent success rate from three-point range.

In his first 12 games after the All-Star break, Henderson scored at least 10 points 11 times and shot 37.9 percent from behind the arc. One of the best games of his career was on March 12 when he put up 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 37 minutes off the bench in a 114-113 overtime loss to the New York Knicks.

The Blazers being encouraged by Henderson's progress is notable looking ahead to this summer, because they could have some big decisions to make involving their backcourt.

Henderson only started 10 games this season because Anfernee Simons was the primary point guard. Simons, whose current contract expires after next season, has already been mentioned as a popular trade target this offseason. Shaedon Sharpe is likely locked in to the other starting backcourt spot.

NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported on May 4 that the Orlando Magic, who are desperately seeking offense and a primary ball-handler, could pursue a trade for Simons.

Henderson has one more year before becoming extension-eligible. He is four years younger than Simons and a more natural point guard.

If the Blazers want to get the full picture of what Henderson can do, they will need to put him on the floor more than they did this season. His playing time went down by nearly two minutes per game from his rookie year (28.5 to 26.7).

An encouraging 12-13 record after the All-Star break (23-32 prior to the break) gives the Blazers something positive to focus on in the still-early stages of their rebuild.

Henderson's development next season figures to be a key storyline for the franchise as they start to piece together their long-term direction with this young core.