Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said rookie Scoot Henderson is close to returning from a left adductor strain, according to Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report.
Henderson last played on Feb. 15 and will miss his seventh straight game on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He recently returned to on-court activities and was seen pregame going through various shooting and dribbling workouts.
The Trail Blazers hope to get him back in the lineup on Friday against the Houston Rockets or Saturday against the Toronto Raptors as they continue a six-game homestand at the Moda Center.
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) March 7, 2024
Henderson is averaging 12.9 points, 4.7 assists and three rebounds on 37.5% shooting from the field in 43 games with the Trail Blazers. He is fourth among rookies in scoring and one of six first-year players with multiple 30-point games (2).
The third pick has missed time throughout the year due to injuries. He was sidelined for nine games at the start of the season because of an ankle sprain and two games before the All-Star break with a foot sprain before his latest setback.
The organization is pleased with how Henderson has progressed to this point and how he handles the workload at the point guard position. He is viewed as a franchise cornerstone, so the team will look to ease him back into action over the last stretch of the season.
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