No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson made his NBA debut for the Trail Blazers on Friday night in Summer League action against the Rockets.
Henderson looked every bit the part of an All-Star-caliber combo guard, scoring 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the floor with six assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
However, Henderson’s summer league debut concluded early after he left the game in the third quarter with a right shoulder injury, per Trail Blazers PR. There is no indication of the severity of the injury for Henderson, but Bleacher Report‘s Chris Haynes reported after the game that Henderson would undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.
Haynes added that the team is optimistic that Henderson did not suffer a dislocation.
Portland fans are surely hoping that it’s precautionary, especially now with the Trail Blazers set to move on from star point guard Damian Lillard, who requested a trade and is awaiting his departure as the team’s franchise player.
Henderson is the heir apparent to lead the franchise into a new era, and a significant injury in the first matchup of Summer League would not be the way for the young guard to begin his tenure in Portland.