The Portland Trail Blazers, following a week of turmoil surrounding Damian Lillard requesting a trade, returned to the business of playing basketball during opening day of summer league play Friday in Las Vegas.
The Blazers lost 100-99 when Houston forward Jabari Smith hit a jump shot as time expired on a play that began with .6 seconds on the clock.
At the center of the action was rookie guard Scoot Henderson, selected No. 3 overall during last month’s NBA draft, a move that helped influence Lillard to seek a trade to Miami.
Henderson, who spent the past two seasons with the G League Ignite, delivered a strong debut demonstrating why general manager Joe Cronin thought too highly of the 6-foot-2 guard to trade him for veteran talent. However, Henderson’s night ended prematurely when he injured his right shoulder in the third quarter.
Prior to that, Henderson used his combination of agility and strength to dart and bull his way into the paint where he either found a shot or kicked the ball back out to open shooters.
“When he is in attack mindset and getting into the paint, it’s really good,” Blazers coach Jonah Herschu said. “And point guard is the first line of defense, so I thought his pressure on (Amen) Thompson was really good, picking him up near half court and in the backcourt. So, he played with good thrust tonight.”
Henderson began the game with 13 points, three assists and three rebounds in the first quarter while making 5 of 7 shots. He would, however, miss his next six shots to finish 5 of 13 from the field for 15 points with six assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes.
Herscu said after the game that he didn’t see how Henderson got injured and had yet to receive an update from team trainers.
“We were just being cautious,” Herscu said.
Henderson, who was not made available to the media, was scheduled to undergo an MRI.
As for the loss, Herschu wasn’t phased.
“I thought we played really well,” he said. “We did a lot of good things. A lot of contributions from a lot of different guys.”
Portland Trail Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe dunks over Houston Rockets’ Jay Huff during the second half an NBA summer league basketball game Friday, July 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) APAP
The Blazers, who started Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, rookie Kris Murray, Jabari Walker and Ibou Badji, shot 41.7% from the field and 42.9% (12 of 28) on threes.
Sharpe struggled early but came on strong to score a team-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds. The second-year guard, who shot 7 of 21 from the field, brought the fans at the Thomas & Mack Center to their feet in the fourth quarter with a high-flying dunk on a drive down the line.
As for playing his first game with Henderson, Sharpe said the two still must work on their chemistry but he enjoyed playing with such an aggressive point guard.
“He’s a great player that can play downhill and get his teammates involved,” Sharpe said. “He just brings that energy. Everyone feeds off his energy and we just competed.”
Henderson’s injury is reminiscent of last summer when Sharpe, then a rookie, injured his shoulder during the first five minutes of the summer league opener. He did not play again during the summer session while the Blazers went on to claim the championship.
BUTLER BADJI SIGN
The Blazers signed Badji and forward John Butler Jr. to two-way contracts, the team announced. Both spent last season with the Blazers. Badji did not play due to a knee injury. Butler saw action in 19 games. Each will probably begin next season with Portland’s new G League team, the Rip City Remix.
Badji had four points and three blocked shots in 20 minutes against the Rockets.
“We love Badji as a staff,” Herschu said. “He impacts the game. It’s not always on the stat sheet. Deflecting shots, altering shots, prohibiting shots, discouraging shots. So, on the defensive end I thought he controlled the paint very well. Offensively, it’s coming along.”
The Blazers also officially signed Henderson, Murray and Rayan Rupert to rookie contracts.
KEON JOHNSON INJURED
The Blazers guard left the game in the first half with an injured finger after one minute of action and did not return.
NEXT UP
The Blazers face San Antonio and rookie Victor Wembenyama, the No. 1 pick in last month’s draft, at 5 p.m. Sunday. The game will air on ESPN2.
— Aaron Fentress reported from Las Vegas, Nevada
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook). Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts