The Portland Trail Blazers' rebuild is going as well as expected, with them showing signs of improvement but also struggling in the standings. They currently have the sixth-worst record in the NBA, giving themselves a shot at landing the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Of course, part of this season has been about the development of top prospects, including Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan. Of those players, special attention has been paid to Scoot and his development. Unfortunately, his play has led to increasing concerns about whether he is a draft bust.
Scoot has shown some signs of life, recently putting up two strong games, but those games being noteworthy underline the problem. He is far from the same level as fellow 2023 top-3 picks Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller.
Comparing him to other top players in his draft class may not be fair with Wembanyama looking like a superstar and Miller also showing star potential. Nevertheless, Scoot was seemingly more NBA-ready than both players, with him having played two seasons in the G-League before entering the league.
An alarming stat proves that the Blazers' Scoot Henderson may already be a lost cause.
It isn't uncommon for young point guards to struggle to start their careers. However, Scoot's performance has been particularly disappointing when compared to other young players at similar stages of their careers.
Scoot Henderson is in his age-20 season. I think it's a little early to give up on him, BUT...
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) December 16, 2024
Among the 266 three-point-era players with 1,000+ minutes through their age-20 campaigns, Henderson is 259th in box plus/minus to that point in their careers. https://t.co/9sVg64Fmfu pic.twitter.com/fsrZzc50Cg
Even when cherry-picking stats, Scoot's numbers are awful, and the eye test doesn't contradict them. He can't shoot from outside, struggles to finish inside, and has struggled with turnovers thus far.
After having what many saw as an NBA-ready body, him struggling to finish at the rim is surprising. He has also failed to earn a role in the starting lineup, even as starting point guard Anfernee Simons has struggled this season compared to last year.
With Scoot's failure to take a major step forward, that leads to questions about his future. Right now, he is at risk of having his fourth-year option not picked up. Especially with him set to make $13.5 million in his fourth season. He, of course, will still have the remainder of this season and all of next year to show and prove.
But if he can't, heading into his third season, then his value may diminish and make it harder for the Blazers to move him for any positive value. That may be putting the cart before the horse, but with Scoot not showing meaningful growth one-third of the way through his sophomore season, it's fair to wonder if he will ever be able to live up to the hype in Portland.