How The Blazers Have Optimized Scoot Henderson's Development Path

Forbes

4 days ago

As Scoot Henderson enters his third NBA season, he's got both experience to lean on, and a guy to fall back on in Deni Avdija.
Help on both sides of the floor
With the acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, Henderson now has quite possibly the best teachers to lean on in the coming season.
Holiday, one of the best perimeter defenders in league over the past decade, has a unique understanding of playing angles, reading opposing offenses, and he's sublime in identifying patterns.
Henderson stands to gain a significant bump in defensive knowledge by studying under Holiday, and peppering him with questions about - especially - pick and roll coverages.
On the other side of the floor, Henderson can lean on Lillard, arguably the best player in Blazers history, who has now come back to the organization after two seasons in Milwaukee.
Lillard, who won't play this season due to an Achilles tear, has always been a masterful offensive player, one especially potent at spacing the floor, and drawing fouls.
Henderson shares a similar physical build as Lillard, and while the youngster is at least a few levels below the former All-Star in terms of shooting prowess, if there's anyone who can provide him with a sharper understanding of offensive execution, it's Lillard.
The Deni Avdija security blanket
It's no secret that Avdija had a tremendous finish to last season, averaging almost 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists over the last 20 games of the season.
The 6'9 forward can consistently create his own shot, be that going to the rim, or from the outside, and his playmaking took a noticeable jump forward, allowing him to absorb plenty of on-ball possessions.
This is a huge benefit to Henderson, who will have games where he still looks raw, young, and untested. In those situations, he can scale up his defense, and lean into being more of a playmaker, courtesy of Holiday and Lillard.
Well, that's the idea anyway.
The Blazers should be an interesting team to track this season, as they have a large portion of intriguing players that could turn them into a much-improved squad, should most of them begin to develop at a higher rate.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.