Blazers’ Scoot Henderson Must Become Better Shooter

ThePortland Trail Blazersare just a week away from training camp, and the team is set to begin the transition away from the Damian Lillard era into the “Scoot Henderson Show.”

Henderson was the No. 3 overall pick for the Blazers in June’s draft, and he’s arguably the best prospect the team has drafted since Lillard was taken No. 6 back in 2012.

Henderson shined in two seasons with G League Ignite, but there still are some skills he needs to work on in order to improve, most notably with his shooting, according toBleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman.

The pull-up is a key weapon in Scoot Henderson’s bag, and NBA defenses will keep baiting him to take it based on his G League scouting report.

They’ll prioritize preventing the rookie from tapping into his explosiveness and strength on drives. Despite looking comfortable and confident stepping into dribble jumpers, he was too inconsistent and erratic.

He took the second-most mid-range jumpers of any G Leaguer and made just 34.8 percent of them. He shot 31.3 percent on three-point pull-ups and 32.4 percent from deep altogether.

Henderson only attempted 2.7 threes in 30.2 minutes per game, a sign that he’s clearly not comfortable yet from behind the NBA arc.

If Henderson can improve his shot, he could truly become the next franchise cornerstone for the Blazers and the player the team can build around for the foreseeable future.