Blazers' Scoot Henderson Receives Major Injury Return Update

The Portland Trail Blazers are not getting Scoot Henderson back on Tuesday night when they take on the Phoenix Suns, but the third-year guard saw his designation switch from "Out" to "Doubtful" for the matchup.

As The Oregonian's Joe Freeman relayed, Henderson will return sometime this week, with matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday and Saturday at the Moda Center being the most likely dates. Henderson confirmed that he's feeling the best he's felt in a while, saying Monday's "was honestly one of my first days where I’m like, ‘OK, I can keep going now. I can keep playing even longer … I felt great.’"

"Either way, it seems likely, barring some kind of setback, that Henderson plays sometime this week. He started to increase his non-contact basketball activities in late December and early January and was finally cleared for full basketball activities roughly two weeks ago," Freeman prefaced before saying, "Henderson has participated in a variety of scrimmaging, including three-on-three half-court games and five-on-five full-court games, and said that Monday’s workout was his best yet."

Tiago Splitter on Scoot Henderson's Return

Tiago Splitter provided a fairly straightforward and somewhat obvious statement on where Henderson's timetable is.

As Splitter noted, Henderson is behind fellow guard Blake Wesley, who's already returned and played 19 minutes during a 130-111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“He’s a little behind Blake (Wesley),” Blazers acting coach Tiago Splitter said Sunday, when asked for an update on Henderson. “But very, very soon, I think, we’re going to see him playing. He was playing in those contact games — three-on-three, four-on-four, five-on-five — and this morning he was sprinting all over the court. So he’s getting there.”

It's starting to be clear when we'll see Henderson again. It comes at a good time, with Deni Avdija's health a question mark. Who knows what other guards will be in the backcourt after the February 5 trade deadline.

Scoot Henderson Must Acclimate Quickly for Blazers' Playoff Push

Henderson is re-joining a team that needs him, until he proves that he can't handle big minutes. Splitter has found a mix all season while dealing with various injuries. If Henderson isn't cut out for a major role, he won't receive one.

Development is important, but Portland is playing for its first postseason appearance since before Damian Lillard left and Splitter is coaching for his coaching career. Opportunities could sprout elsewhere if franchise ownership doesn't commit to him long-term.

Henderson needs to prove himself to get the chances that a rebuilding Blazers team in a different situation could have definitely afforded him.