Scoot Henderson likely produced his best outing of the season on Monday to help lead the Portland Trail Blazers to their first win against the Toronto Raptors.
Playing on the second night of a back to back, Henderson recorded 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals in the 99-91 win on the road. He went 4-of-12 from the field in 34 minutes of work before fouling out as the Trail Blazers improved to 1-3 on the season.
The third pick is off to a slow start with the Trail Blazers. He has struggled to stay out of foul trouble in four games and has been inefficient from the field.
But head coach Chauncey Billups liked what he saw from him.
I was just happy for Scoot. I think, in both halves, he was aggressive and attacking. I thought, defensively, he was really good, as well. (We’re) starting to see things out there happen. … I thought Scoot did a really good job on both ends of the floor.
Henderson is averaging 8.3 points, four assists and 2.8 rebounds on 33.3% shooting from the field. He has picked up five or more fouls three times and has committed 17 turnovers, the third-most in the NBA behind LeBron James (18) and Cade Cunningham (21).
Billups said earlier this week that Henderson has likely been out of rhythm due to being in foul trouble. Young players often struggle to stay engaged during those situations, and that is something Henderson is working through at the moment.
My expectations for myself are already at a high standard. I can only imagine what everybody else is trying to think of me, so I really don’t care what anybody on the outside says. As long as everybody here knows I’m trying to get better for them, I’m good. I can go to sleep at night.
The Trail Blazers entered the season with lower expectations than past seasons after trading Damian Lillard. The team is looking to rebuild around Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons among others.
Henderson is going to continue to watch film and learn from his early mistakes. He will have the opportunity to work through those miscues, but he understands his turnovers and fouls must be limited in order to stay on the court.
“(Monday) was my best game because I set the standard of what my early games were,” Henderson said. “I think I’ve just grown a lot from those games, and I’m ready to hit the road running now.”
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