Jamal Crawford was a big fan of Scoot Henderson entering the season, and the former 20-year veteran was happy to see the rookie make the NBA Rising Stars game.
Henderson was among 11 first-year players selected to compete in the annual showcase at All-Star Weekend on Feb. 16 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is his third selection to the game after previously representing the G League Ignite in the competition.
The third pick is averaging 12.2 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds on 37% shooting from the field in 38 games this season with the Portland Trail Blazers. He is fifth among rookies in scoring and one of six first-year players with a 30-point game.
Crawford, speaking Tuesday on “NBA on TNT” with Adam Lefkoe, Vince Carter and Candace Parker, was excited to see Henderson earn the nod after a slow start this year.
I like Scoot Henderson. The fact that he started out rough, it wasn’t pretty from the start. He has found his footing and has figured out pace and figured out how to get going, so to see him make this game, I’m really, really happy for him.
Henderson, as Crawford mentioned, had a bit of a rough start.
He played in the first five games of the season and was then sidelined for nine games due to an ankle injury. He struggled with efficiency over his first 19 games, averaging 10.8 points, 4.1 assists and 2.7 rebounds on 36.7% shooting from the field, including 25% from 3-point range.
The 19-year-old has since improved, posting 13.7 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 19 games on 36% shooting from beyond the arc. He has four 20-point games in that stretch, including a career-high 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on Jan. 14.
Henderson looks to have progressed with each game, which was to be expected after missing time. He is developing into a franchise cornerstone and proving himself as a top-three pick last year.
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