PORTLAND, Ore. — He wasn't named Western Conference Player of the Week, but Portland Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson was nominated for the honor on Tuesday, the league announced.
Henderson's name was right there next to star players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (the winner) and four other nominees: Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Four of those five players were named to one of the All-NBA teams last season, and Davis probably would have made it if he'd played more than 56 games — pretty heady company for the Blazers rookie.
The honor was for the week of Dec. 25-31, which saw Henderson and the Blazers play four games, winning two. In those four games, Henderson averaged 20.3 points, 8.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds. He shot the ball well from the 3-point line (44.4% on 4.5 attempts per game) and free-throw line (81.3% on four attempts per game). While his overall efficiency remains a work in progress — he shot 39% from the field — he was impactful enough in those four games that the league took note.
It's another step in the right direction for the Blazers rookie. The third overall pick in last summer's draft, who came into the league with more hype than most top draft picks, struggled out of the gate. In his first five games, he averaged 8.8 points and 4.0 turnovers per game while struggling to make shots from anywhere, shooting 34.6% from the field and less than 10% from the 3-point line.
He missed nine games due to an ankle injury and then started to show improvement after his return, with notable progress over the past three weeks. Over the past 11 games, Henderson is averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.4% from the field and 42.5% from 3.
Henderson has demonstrated a greater sense of control and feel for the game, slowing down enough to let his natural strength, athleticism and skill work for instead of against him. Earlier in the season, he seemed to play at full throttle every second he was on the court, which led to rushed shots and careless turnovers. But he’s doing a better job now of surveying the court, seeing the defense and using change of speed and direction to get where he wants. He’s also demonstrating the court awareness and vision that scouts and draft experts raved about before he was drafted, particularly with a few high-level passes in the win against San Antonio.
"You're seeing him now starting to play free and loose, and let the game kind of just happen out there, as opposed to thinking about it before it happens, just let it happen," said head coach Chauncey Billups after the Blazers' win against San Antonio. "You're seeing the game kind of slow down for Scoot a little bit. And it will continue to do that. I'm just loving his ascension now. I mean, every single game, he's continuing to get better."
Henderson is by no means a finished product. He’s still 19 years old and learning to play point guard as a rookie in the NBA, the most challenging position on the court. His inefficiency remains an issue, and his turnovers are still too high. More growing pains may await this season. But he’s making steady progress and starting to live up to expectations as one of the top rookies in his class.
