Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson was involved in a scary car accident on Thursday afternoon. Ahead of Portland’s road game against the Houston Rockets, Chauncey Billups‘ team received some concerning news about its star guard.
According to Trail Blazers reporter Sean Highkin, Henderson was in a ride-share in Houston when the car was rear-ended. The accident was minor, and Henderson is okay, but he will miss tonight’s game with a back strain. Henderson is considered day-to-day going forward.
The Portland Trail Blazers’ young core is getting better with every game
This news for the Portland Trail Blazers happens at a time when the franchise’s youth movement is in full swing. Luckily for the organization, Henderson is set to fully recover and contribute to this rebuild soon. Chauncey Billups’ team is 6-10 and has had signature moments already, such as back-to-back wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves. So far, the standout players this season have been third-year star Shaedon Sharpe and rookie Donovan Clingan.
The 21-year-old Sharpe, who was recovering earlier in the season from a posterior labral tear, is leading the Blazers in points at 17.8 points per game. This start is very encouraging, especially for a player coming off a serious injury. Similarly, Portland’s first-round pick from this year’s draft, Donovan Clingan, has turned many heads in 2024.
The seventh overall selection is gradually getting more comfortable in Chauncey Billups’ offense, averaging 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. Clingan’s transition to defending NBA players, however, has been seamless. The two-time national champion averages 2.1 blocks per game and put together a monster eight-block performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After just 16 games, it’s already clear that Portland’s future center is on the roster.
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To this point, Scoot Henderson has had an up-and-down second season in “The City of Roses.” He’s currently averaging 11.3 points and 5.2 assists on a career-best 40.6% field-goal percentage. Henderson’s main concern is that his three-point efficiency has dropped to 28.6% through 15 games. This weakness will be something to watch for the 6’3 guard in the future, as a guard of his size could struggle in the modern-day NBA without an elite three-point stroke. However, there’s still plenty of time, as Scoot is only 20 years old.
Looking ahead for Chauncy Billups’ team, the Blazers have three road games coming up against the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Indiana Pacers. Coming off a two-game losing streak against the Thunder and Rockets, the Blazers have been way more competitive at this point in the season compared to last year. However, things can get out of hand quickly if this franchise doesn’t stay focused in a stacked Western Conference.
Overall, it’s very fortunate that Scoot Henderson is okay after this scary accident. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get back to doing what he loves most in the very near future.
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