Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson feels like he’s headed in the right direction after a slow start to his NBA career, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Following three sub-par outings, Henderson enjoyed his best game on Monday, posting 11 points and seven assists as Portland won at Toronto. The No. 3 pick in this year’s draft hopes the game represents a reset of his rookie season.
“Something new for me. I never went through something like this,” Henderson said of his early struggles. “But I’m ready. I’m ready now. I could tell Portland I’m ready to go now.”
Shooting remains an issue for Henderson, which was expected when he entered the draft. He went 4-of-12 from the field Monday, dropping him to 33.3 percent on the year and he’s now 1-of-18 on three-pointers after missing all six of his attempts against the Raptors. However, there are signs that he’s learning how to take command of the game and understanding when to unleash his athletic bursts.
“I thought he let the game come to him,” said Malcolm Brogdon, who’s serving as Henderson’s mentor. “He was sort of warming up in the first half and then in the second half, he started to really find his rhythm, his pace. I think tonight he really picked his spots. I haven’t seen him really do that. He picked when he was aggressive. He picked when he was going to be a facilitator, when he was going to try to get to the line. Pushed in transition. I thought he really started putting it together tonight.”
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