Scoot Henderson — the No. 3 pick and Trail Blazers are betting the future face of the franchise — will be out another two weeks with a bone bruise in his ankle, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Henderson rolled his ankle on Nov. 1 against the Pistons and has been out since, missing the team’s last three games. A couple more weeks in street clothes and he will be up to double digits in missed games.
Coach Chauncey Billups has been scrambling with Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) and Anfernee Simons (thumb surgery) also out, giving guys such as two-way player Skylar Mays a chance (he had 18 points and 11 assists in an overtime loss to the Kings). Shaedon Sharpe has stood out for the Trail Blazers this season so far, averaging 19.9 points a game and using his athleticism to get to his spots on the court.
Henderson has struggled to adjust to the NBA to start the season, averaging 8.8 points a night on 34.6% shooting overall, including going 2-of-21 from 3, with 4.6 assists a game but also four turnovers. It will take time for him and Simons to learn to play together, and this is a setback to them just getting time on the court together.
