PORTLAND -- Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson has made no excuses over the course of his first season in Portland. When he struggles, he’s honest about those issues. When he plays well but the team loses, he makes a point of emphasizing the collective result rather than his individual performance. He could blame his age, injuries and a number of other factors for what has been an up and down rookie season, but time and time again, he has refused to make excuses.
And now, he’s making considerable progress.
The 6-3 guard in his first season out of the G League Ignite is first among rookies in assists at 5.3 per game and fourth in scoring at 13.7 points per game. And since the All-Star break, Henderson is averaging 6.8 assists, first among rookies, 15.7 points, fourth among rookies, and 1.2 steals, fifth among rookies.
He’s posted seven games this season with at least 10 assists, the most among first-year players, and is the only player in this class to put up 20 points and 10 assists in a game this season, something he’s done four times.
More recently, Henderson became the first rookie since Lonzo Ball in 2017 to post 10 points and 10 assists in a half, as he did in Tuesday night’s loss to the Pelicans at Moda Center. He’s also the first Blazers rookie to hand out 10 assists in a half since Damian Lillard a few seasons back.
Henderson finished Tuesday’s game with 15 assists, passing Kelvin Ransey and Bill Walton by setting a new franchise mark for assists in a game by a rookie. The effort also made him the only rookie this season to log a game with 15 assists.
“My performance was solid, just trying to get guys the ball and they hit shots, simple as that,” said Henderson about his record-breaking performance. “Just trying to get our passes up as a team, we want a lot of passes as a team, so taking part in that.”
While much of Henderson’s improvement can be attributed to increased playing time, his budding partnership with center Deandre Ayton, who also had a bit of a slow start to his tenure as a Trail Blazer, has benefitted both players. Henderson has assisted on 54 of Ayton’s field goals this season with well over half of those coming since the All-Star break.
“From where it started to where it is now…” said Ayton of his chemistry with his rookie point guard. “We’re seeing glimpses of it right now. Scoot is being extremely poised in certain situations in the game, no matter the momentum. He’s just really taking over.”
One could argue no rookie has improved more this season than Henderson, though there’s still plenty of room for growth, which is the case for any 20 year old. His finishing at the rim needs to improve, his three-point shot, already better than when he entered the league in October, is still a work-in-progress and he has to cut down on turnovers, another statistic in which he leads all rookies.
But while he might take a bit of a break after Portland’s season ends on Sunday in Sacramento, he’ll be right back to work soon after.
“I think it’s just all a process,” said Henderson. “It don’t stop here, it starts in the next couple of days. It starts in the summer, that’s when the work starts. Just try to come back next season better for my team.”