The Portland Trail Blazers are heading into a critical season for their young core, and all eyes were on third year guard Scoot Henderson. After being selected third overall in the 2023 draft, Henderson has shown flashes of the talent that made him a top prospect, including a career-high 39-point game last season. This year was seen as a major opportunity for him to take a leap, especially after the team traded Anfernee Simons and brought in veteran Jrue Holiday.

Henderson was expected to compete for a starting role and establish himself as the team’s point guard of the future. However, a setback during offseason preparations has put those plans on hold. The team announced a significant update on the 21-year-old’s status, revealing an left hamstring tear that is set to restrict his gametime next campaign. 

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Mark J. Spears, who revealed that he is set to return to basketball activities in the next 4-8 weeks. That obviously is not an update about his potential return, and Henderson will only start rehabilitation after this time, which can also be expected to take weeks considering the demands of the NBA. The injury occurred during an off-season workout, and is a major blow for a team that is already going to be without homecoming star Damian Lillard.

The Trail Blazers organization quickly followed with an official statement, providing more detail on the recovery timeline. Henderson will likely miss the entire preseason and could be sidelined for the first month of the regular season. With veteran Jrue Holiday and rising star Shaedon Sharpe on the roster, the Blazers have capable players to handle backcourt duties while Henderson focuses on a full recovery.

For the Blazers, Henderson’s injury creates both short-term and long-term challenges. Holiday becomes the clear starter at point guard, while Shaedon Sharpe is set for heavier ball-handling duties. Rayan Rupert could also see extended minutes in the early stretch of the season. The bigger concern, however, is the lost development time for Henderson, especially as he was expected to learn directly from Holiday, Billups, and eventually Lillard.

As Brett Siegel noted, “Henderson will miss the start of the 2025-26 NBA season and is expected to return to basketball activities in four to eight weeks”. With the Western Conference packed with elite guards, Portland’s timing couldn’t be worse. The impact of this setback ripples beyond just the lineup and will be felt in their playoff outlook as well.

How the Blazers adjust without Henderson

Scoot Henderson‘s injury forces Portland to alter its backcourt plans significantly. Henderson averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 assists and a steal per game. The points average was actually a slight reduction from his debut campaign. However, the Trail Blazers losing Simmons had led to people believing it will be Scoot who fills in, as far as the starting lineup is concerned. Now, that duty may lie with some other stars.

Veteran Jrue Holiday, who was likely to share backcourt duties with Henderson, now steps into the full time starting point guard role. At 35 years old, Holiday brings experience but is coming off a season where his numbers declined, averaging 11.1 points and 3.9 assists with the Celtics. The team will need him to handle a heavier workload than initially planned.

The injury also creates opportunity for other players. Shaedon Sharpe will see increased ball handling responsibilities, and recent signing Blake Wesley becomes an important depth piece. Wesley shot 37 percent from three point range in the second half of last season and will need to contribute immediately. The Blazers may also use forward Deni Avdija in more playmaking roles to compensate for the loss of Henderson’s creation.

For Henderson personally, this is another frustrating delay in his crucial third year development. The 4 to 8 week timeline means he could miss up to 20 games, missing valuable reps alongside his new veteran mentors. The Blazers’ playoff hopes, which already faced long odds in a tough Western Conference, now face an even steeper challenge without their young point guard to start the season.