Scoot Henderson

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Casey Holdahl

"First and foremost, I want to say that I’m blessed to be here in Portland… They accepted me and it’s been fun to play here with the fans and even outside the court with everybody else. I’m just repping the Portland jersey, that red, white and black. It’s been a year full of experiences, learning experiences. It’s been fun though, I can say at least I have the best job in the world, and that’s being able to come here and do my job at a high level." -- Scoot Henderson

GP: 62 (32 starts) | MIN: 28.5 | PTS: 14.0 | FG%: 38.5 | 3P%: 32.5 | FT%: 81.9EFG%: 44 | TS%: 48.9 | REB: 3.1 | AST: 5.4 | BLK: 0.2 | STL: 0.8 | TO: 3.4

According to Sportrac, Scoot Henderson, who is on a rookie scale contract after being selected with the third overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, has a base salary of $10,259,160 for the 2024-25 season. His contract has a team option for the 2025-26 season.

Scoot Henderson, through no fault of his own, had a difficult start to his rookie season.

The 6-3 guard, selected by the Trail Blazers with the third overall pick of the 2023 Draft, suffered a shoulder injury three quarters into his first game at Summer League, ending his on-court time in Las Vegas and greatly diminishing his opportunity to participate in workouts during the run up to his rookie season. Then Anfernee Simons got hurt in the first game of the season, which opened up minutes for Henderson, but also took away a valuable on-court mentor, at least for a few months. Then Henderson suffered an ankle injury five games into the season that would cause him to miss the next nine games.

So through the most formative months of his rookie season, Scoot was either sidelined or thrust into situations in which he was yet ready. And that’s to say nothing of the pressure that comes with replacing a franchise icon.

But through it all, Scoot never lost faith. He never got down on himself, always showed up ready to work, addressed the areas in which he was deficient and was an enthusiastic supporter of his teammates. Things like shooting mechanics, finishing at the rim and change of pace and be developed -- all areas in which he made significant improvement over the course of his first season -- but confidence has to come from within, and when it comes to that skill, Scoot needs no additional reps.

And because of that confidence, which always comes across as assured but never haughty, Henderson was able to endure those difficult first days to finish his rookie season with considerable momentum. He played his best basketball in the last two months of the season while improving his shooting percentage and being more careful with the ball. He also played considerable minutes alongside Deandre Ayton since the All-Star break, setting an important foundation for their future partnership both on and off the court.

It is said that it’s not how you start that is important, but how you finish. So while Scoot’s rookie season might not have started off as smoothly as anyone would hope, the finish certainly gave ample cause to be optimistic about his future and that of the Trail Blazers.

Scoot’s 22-points on 56 percent shooting from the field and 57 percent shooting from three and the 10 assists he handed out in Portland’s 89-86 victory versus the Hornets in Charlotte on April 3 is right up there, but as far as his best overall game, I’m going with his 33-point, 9-assist, 7-rebound, three-steal effort in 40 minutes in a 127-116 loss to the Suns at Moda Center on January 14. The Blazers might have lost, but the Suns had to earn it in the fourth quarter, which is probably a better indication of quality than a late-season win versus the Hornets.

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Season In Review: Scoot Henderson

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PHOTOS » A look back at Scoot Henderson's 2023 – 2024 Trail Blazers Season

Portland Trail Blazers

Neil Everett sits down between star guards Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe in part 2 of a brand-new series.

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Two Blazers Between a Man in a Blazer | Scoot Henderson/Shaedon Sharpe, P2

Greetings from North Portland. With the 2023-24 season coming to a close, it's time to start turning out the exit interviews, in which players take a few questions from the local media before beginning their respective offseasons. And even though the is one more game left, the team got a jumpstart by making three players available after the last home game of the season, a 116-107 loss to the Rockets Friday night.

So first up, we hear from rookie guard Scoot Henderson, whose exit interview you can listen to below...

Topics, other than Scoot's comments, on this edition include...

• The final three games of the Trail Blazers' 2023-24 home schedule

• Toumani Camara winning the Maurice Lucas Award

• Where the Blazers stand in terms of draft lottery odds with one game to play

• Portland's record versus the spread in the last 10 days of the season

• Scoot Henderson's comments during his exit interview Friday night

You can subscribe to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, PlayerFM. More exit interviews on Monday!

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Scoot's Exit Interview On The Brief Case, Episode 89

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Scoot Henderson Postgame Interview | Portland Trail Blazers 107, Houston Rockets 116

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Scoot Henderson Highlights (30 PTS, 7 AST, 6 3PM) | Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets | April 12

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Scoot Henderson Postgame Interview | Portland Trail Blazers 92, Golden State Warriors 100

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.”

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Scoot Makes Progress, Not Excuses, As Rookie Season Comes To A Close

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