The Portland Trail Blazers have not been a healthy team in the first few months of the 2025-26 NBA season. Ahead of the season, Scoot Henderson would have played a big role. However, like most of Portland’s guards, he is dealing with an injury, limiting his impact on Tiago Splitter’s system. However, Scoot Henderson’s return could fuel a major comeback for the Blazers and their season.
Scoot Henderson’s Return Could Fuel A Blazers Comeback
The 2205-26 NBA season has been rough for the Portland Trail Blazers. At the start, they were one of the most exciting teams in the league. They had some big wins over teams like the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.
To this day, the Blazers are the only team to have beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. They did so by playing hard-nosed defense and having a reliable guard like Jrue Holiday.
The Trail Blazers’ ceiling gets higher when they have a decent point guard. A younger player like Henderson could raise the bar even further, but Holiday is an excellent choice. With his return from a torn hamstring imminent, he could be the key to a Blazers comeback this season.
Portland’s Guards Are Talented Enough To Succeed
On the Blazers’ roster, the guard rotation is arguably the most talented group. Holiday, Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Damian Lillard are Portland’s guards. Beyond them, they also have surprise contributors Blake Wesley and Caleb Love.
Of course, Lillard will not play in the 2025-26 season, but he is making an impact behind the scenes. This team is quite talented with the current guard rotation, as they can fuel any Blazers comeback.
Jrue Holiday drives to the cup & finds Shaedon Sharpe for the jam 💥
🆚 POR-HOU • West Group C
🏆 @emirates NBA Cup
📺 NBA League Pass: https://t.co/spVZH5w75d pic.twitter.com/9faUzPRwZc— NBA (@NBA) November 15, 2025
Sharpe has broken out as a reliable scorer despite his shooting struggles. Holiday is certainly a superb player with his veteran experience. Henderson can be a wild card, but his talent could propel him to be the team’s best guard.
Lillard once carried this Blazers franchise to solid success in the 2010s as a lead guard. The current roster has a good number of solid guards who could lead the Blazers back to the promised land. They have suffered for a long while, but Tiago Splitter’s system could work when focusing on guard play.
Splitter’s System Benefits From Having More Guards
The current roster is being led by acting head Tiago Splitter. He is a talented coach, as evidenced by some wins so far in the NBA with Portland. Splitter also has experience winning as a player and as a coach in 2024-25 with Paris Basketball.
As he evolves as an NBA head coach, he would want to have a signature style. Nowadays, he does not have a signature play style, as he mostly relies on his players’ talents to carry them. Deni Avdija has benefited from this, as he looks like a legitimate All-Star with his performances.
Deni finished with a career-high 14 assists tonight 👏 pic.twitter.com/reiSOXmXGd
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) December 3, 2025
Beyond Avdija, the Blazers have tremendously talented players. Sharpe is one of them, and he has delivered so far this season. Henderson could be the player to build around if he meets his potential. He showed flashes before, but some people are not buying Henderson stocks yet.
Any lead guard could help the Blazers succeed this season. They need a floor general to set the tone. Avdija is a good passer, but he pales in comparison to Henderson and Holiday. With a floor general taking charge, Splitter’s system could have improvements on offense with the ball moving around more.
A Blazers Comeback Can Lead To A Playoff Run
Henderson could be the key return the Blazers need to compete for a championship. The Blazers noted that Scoot has been recovering well in the past few weeks. The results could lead to him returning later in the month or in January.
The Blazers fan base will welcome him back with open arms for his natural point guard play. Henderson has shown that he can do that in the past two seasons, but he will compete with Holiday. That is healthy competition, as Holiday, alongside Lillard, will also be mentoring Henderson.
When the Blazers are healthy, they will be a scary defense to play against. It was evident early in the season when Wesley was full-court pressing almost every possession.
The offense will also improve because of Henderson and Holiday being in charge. If they can do it, a Blazers comeback from the rut could be in the cards.
Featured Image: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
