The Portland Trail Blazers will continue playing without their rookie Scoot Henderson a while longer. The team issued an update on Henderson on Sunday, announcing that the third-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is dealing with an ankle injury and is expected to be out for two to three weeks.
Henderson hurt his ankle on November 1st in a 101-110 win over the Detroit Pistons. He exited the game in the third quarter and didn’t return to the floor. The 19-year-old player hasn’t played since.
It was first believed that Henderson had an ankle sprain. But according to Portland, an MRI test on his ankle also revealed additional bone bruising, which is why he’ll miss more time than initially expected.
The Blazers can afford themselves to be more cautious with Henderson, considering they are going through a rebuild after superstar Damian Lillard left the franchise this offseason. They are currently 12th in the Western Conference and are on a three-game losing streak.
Scoot Henderson is widely viewed as the future franchise cornerstone for the Blazers. However, his transition to the NBA hasn’t been ideal so far. In five games he played as a pro, Henderson averaged 8.8 points while shooting dreadful 34.6% from the floor and 9.5% from behind the three-point line.
