Nearly two months after the Portland Trail Blazers disclosed that guard Scoot Henderson tore his left hamstring during a workout, the former No. 3 overall pick remains on a week-to-week timetable to resume full basketball activities.
Henderson, sidelined since the late-September injury, told The Athletic that he has made progress but has not been cleared for on-court work beyond stationary shooting, limited ball-handling and upper-body strength training. “I can walk around to spots, but no jumping, no exploding,” he said.
The 21-year-old is expected to meet this week with Dr. Courtney Watson, the team’s director of health and performance, to determine next steps. When the Blazers first announced the injury, they projected a four-to-eight-week recovery. General manager Joe Cronin later cautioned the timeline could stretch to 10 weeks or longer because hamstring injuries are notoriously stubborn.
Henderson remains confident he will not need a lengthy ramp-up once he is fully cleared. “I feel like I will be good,” he said, noting that he anticipates only normal conditioning issues after several games.
Portland, 6-8 after dropping five of its last six contests, continues to operate with a depleted backcourt. Damian Lillard is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, Blake Wesley has been sidelined since Oct. 31 following foot surgery, and Jrue Holiday missed the last two games with right calf soreness. In their absence, Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija have handled additional playmaking duties, while two-way rookie Caleb Love logged a career-high 17 points in 32 minutes during Tuesday’s loss to Phoenix.
Source: Hoops Rumors
