Portland is in a terrible place as a team going into the all-star break. But Scoot Henderson and two other rookies are doing just fine.
Here is the most recent Portland Trail Blazers news leading up to the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend, which includes the team’s inconvenient losing streak, Scoot Henderson’s formal promotion, and some acknowledgment for two other outstanding rookies.
Scoot Henderson: Starting point guard
Scoot Henderson is now the official starting point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, however it took until the all-star break of his rookie campaign to achieve this.
According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/Oregon Live, head coach Chauncey Billups made the statement prior to the team’s defeat by the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 15:
“All I want is for him to earn everything, and he’s fulfilling that goal.” So, that moment has here. I applaud him, but he’s making progress. Not me.
– Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Blazers
The figures for the entire season don’t fully reflect Scoot’s growth this year. Henderson’s rookie season has started poorly, but since December 26, he is averaging 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.
Scoot shot 38 percent from three point range, 98 percent from the free-throw line on more than four attempts each night, and produced a better than 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the ten games before to the Blazers’ crushing defeat by the Timberwolves on February 15.
Those are significant advancements for a player who struggled to make threes, turned the ball over far too frequently, and displayed hesitation early in the season. Billups is correct; Scoot has shown that this is the right time for him to on the court. It’s not just that the Blazers are failing and he needs the minutes.
Henderson, Camara, Reath recognized
On February 15, J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer updated his rookie rankings, and (surprise) some underappreciated Blazers received some recognition. Scoot ranked ninth, while Toumani Camara and Duop Reath, two more Portland debutants, completed the top 15.
Mann writes of Camara:
“You have to watch him play and read between the lines. His play has a subtle savviness to it, and he consistently engages the player whether or not he touches the ball. He cleans up offensive mishaps and rebounds his position well. I don’t think Camara will ever be a facilitator for anything other than controlling handoff traffic and reversing the ball, but if the Blazers decide to stick with their youthful core of guards who are focused on scoring, those abilities could prove to be very beneficial. I believe it will be difficult to keep him off the ground.”
– J. Kyle Mann, in his book The Ringer of Reath:
“I assume that introductions are necessary now? In this rookie ranking, 27-year-old Duop (pronounced dwahp) is the only player with a two-way deal.
In my best Morgan Freeman accent, I’d argue that Duop took five years of summer rosters, FIBA tournaments, training camps, overseas leagues, and unimaginable ups and downs to make it to the NBA. His skill to shoot the ball made him his own version of the rock hammer. Although he is primarily a catch-and-shoot player, his ability to spread the floor as a big man has paid off wherever he has played.”
– J. Kyle The Ringer, Mann
Thank you so much, Kyle. Outside of Portland, there aren’t many Duop Reath fans.
Trail Blazers skidding into the all-star break
Portland is on a six-game losing run going into all-star weekend after going 5-4 from January 17 to January 31. The Blazers’ six-game winning streak isn’t even their longest of the season, but it’s a depressing way to cap off what has been a fantastic few weeks. It’s been an up-and-down season.
Four Motives Regarding the Trail Blazers’ quiet trade deadline, Joe Cronin deserves recognition.
It won’t get any simpler, though, as Portland’s opening game after the break is scheduled for February 23, 7 p.m. PT, against the Denver Nuggets.
