The Portland Trail Blazers survived a LeBron-less Los Angeles Lakers attack on Monday. They were also without the future face of the franchise, Scoot Henderson. Here they are again, getting ready to face a potentially similar scenario. Winning just three out of the 11 games played, Portland is in a hard place.

Their last meeting with the Lakers ended in a 110-116 loss. But it was a well-fought battle on both sides. Can they put up an equally good fight this time? Or can they overpower LA?

Will Scoot Henderson play tonight?

The straight answer is a resounding ‘No’. The Blazers have been heavily shorthanded for some time now. And it looks like the trend is going to continue longer. According to the tweet by Portland’s PR, they are down six players; four of them key pieces.

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It is not an easy time to be a Blazers fan. Initially out for an ankle sprain, an MRI scan on Henderson revealed that there was additional bone bruising too. This will leave the Beaver State without “Scoota” for another two to three weeks.

Scoot’s time with the Ignite was when he was down with the most injuries. On October 6, 2022, the first exhibition game against Wembanyama left Henderson with a knee injury. By November 29, he was again sidelined with a nose injury after his run-in with the Salt Lake City (Nov. 18). The nasal fracture also gave him a concussion that nearly lasted a month.

After successful rehab, Henderson was ready to face the new year with renewed energy, only to sustain an ankle injury on January 17, 2023. Having seen enough of what the top prospect is capable of, Ignite kept him out of their final five games. With that, we come to November 1 where the Blazers won against the Pistons with a 110-101 victory.

But also lost their sensational and promising rookie to injury. With Scoot Henderson unlikely to make a comeback anytime soon, where does it leave the Blazers?

What Henderson’s absence means for the Rose City

With Henderson out, the Blazers have been managing their affairs with Ayton, Grant, Thybulle, Mays, and Sharpe. Their last game against the Lakers also saw players like Duop Reath, and Jamaree Bouyea getting significant game time. Can’t blame Coach Chauncey.

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He has to do what needs to be done to survive. Their rookie debuts were in the Lakers game and since then have shown tremendous support. Their last game against the Cavaliers saw Reath with 16 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds in 20 minutes of game time. Bouyea put up 2 points and 2 rebounds in 9 minutes. We will probably see more of them in the coming games.

When “Scoota” joined Portland, they were convinced that they found the future face of the franchise. That belief holds true to this day, this moment, even. A potential winner for this year’s NBA Rookie award, recent events have put a block on his dreams.

But we are talking about a 19-year-old point guard. His Rookie Award aspirations might have gone to the winds, but he has an entire NBA career laid out in front of him. If it’s the injuries he is worried about, there are at least two active legends that come to mind – Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis. “Scoota” is going to be just fine.

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