The Blazers' so-called next star is looking more and more like a draft bust

Roughly 15 games into his second season, Portland Trail Blazers prospect Scoot Henderson has yet to break out. It's still early on in his career, with him having played fewer than 82 total games but he is falling far behind other players in his draft class when he was generally considered to be the second-best prospect prior to the draft.

He was ultimately selected the third by Portland and many believe that he was NBA-ready given his frame as well as his having played two seasons in the G League. That has not been the case thus far, with him struggling to finish at the rim as well as shooting from outside.

Struggling in both areas has resulted in him shooting below 40% from the field, with him converting just 51.4% of his shots within 3 feet of the basket. That is surprisingly low, with the league average being closer to 64%.

Both the eye test and advanced metrics confirm his struggles with him being well below the league average of 15 in P.E.R. and win shares per 48 minutes instead posting 9.6 and -.041 respectively. He also has among the highest turnover rates in the NBA, with young point guards often struggling in that regard.

That will probably improve but Henderson being far away from being a productive player leads to serious questions about whether he can live up to his full potential.

Is Scoot Henderson already a draft bust for the Portland Trail Blazers?

Throwing out a term like "draft bust" is sure to draw pushback from Blazers fans but it is trending that way. He has yet to carve out a role as a starter, granted that is because of Anfernee Simons. Nevertheless, he would be among the worst starting point guards in the NBA, with Simons to be traded and Henderson to be upgraded to the starting five.

His playing fewer than a full season's worth of games is an important point, and he can still turn things around so giving him to the end of his second season is fair. However, if Henderson's play doesn't improve, then that would lead to serious doubts about his ceiling as a player.

Comparing Henderson to 2023 number one and number two overall picks Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller isn't fair given Henderson being limited to start last season but both have shown star potential, especially Wembanyama.

If Henderson can't level up to join them, then he could set the Blazers' rebuild back, though Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan both look like good picks. Hopefully, Henderson can turn it around and avoid becoming the latest high-profile draft bust.