Sports · Basketball · 13 hrs ago
Portland coach backs struggling Scoot Henderson as Ja Morant recovers
Portland coach Micah Nori spoke privately with Scoot Henderson before the Trail Blazers’ game against San Antonio on Saturday.
Henderson became the starting point guard last week after Ja Morant was sidelined with a left hamstring injury, and he has struggled in the role.
In four starts, Henderson has 11 turnovers and four assists, while shooting 28.6% from the field; Portland has won three of those games.
Nori said Henderson should keep things simple, focus on defense and make the easy play.
Morant’s hamstring injury may be less serious than first feared, based on an examination in Los Angeles, but Nori gave no timeline for his return.
Portland is waiting to learn how long Morant will be out, while Nori says the team’s success also depends on players sharing the ball and accepting sacrifices.
Portland coach Micah Nori said he believes in Scoot Henderson as the guard struggles after taking over as starting point guard.
Henderson has four assists and 11 turnovers across four starts, while shooting 28.6% from the field.
Nori said Ja Morant’s left hamstring injury may be less extensive than initially feared, but gave no recovery timeline.
Portland has a 3-1 record in Henderson’s starts.
Nori said his advice to Henderson was to keep things simple and focus on defense, rebounding and making easy plays.
- Who
- Portland coach Micah Nori and guard Scoot Henderson. Ja Morant is recovering from a left hamstring injury.
- What
- Nori publicly backed Henderson amid his struggles as a starter and shared an encouraging update on Morant’s injury.
- When
- Nori spoke before Saturday night’s game against San Antonio. Morant was examined Friday.
- Where
- The examination took place in Los Angeles. The city of the pre-game meeting is not stated.
- Why
- Henderson took over as starting point guard after Morant was sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Nori said he wanted to help Henderson through his early struggles.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Henderson became Portland’s starting point guard after Morant was sidelined with a left hamstring injury.
Henderson had two points, no assists and five turnovers in 23 minutes in Portland’s loss to the Lakers.
Morant was examined in Los Angeles, and Nori said the injury might not be as extensive as initially thought.
Nori said he had spoken privately with Henderson.
- Portland record in Henderson’s starts
- 3-1
- Henderson’s totals in four starts
- 4 assists, 11 turnovers
- Henderson’s field-goal shooting
- 28.6%
- Morant’s injury
- Left hamstring
- Morant examination
- Friday in Los Angeles
What people are saying
I believe in Scoot, we believe in Scoot
It sounds like he will be able to — not putting a timeline on it — but it might not be as extensive as what we thought it was, which would be a positive
I still feel like he might be putting a little too much on himself