{"id":149605,"date":"2025-07-10T09:52:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T13:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=149605"},"modified":"2025-07-10T09:52:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T13:52:57","slug":"blazers-pg-problem-henderson-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/07\/10\/blazers-pg-problem-henderson-holiday\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blazers Have A PG Problem With Henderson And Holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Portland Trail Blazers sent Anfernee Simons<\/a> to the Boston Celtics in a trade for Jrue Holiday<\/a>. The veteran’s arrival could be a problem for the Blazers and young guard Scoot Henderson<\/a> in Chauncey Billups’ system.<\/p>\n

The Blazers Have A PG Problem With Henderson And Holiday<\/h2>\n

The Trail Blazers have had many talented guards play in the Pacific Northwest. Damian Lillard<\/a> headlines that group of players, but they also had Simons and Henderson as his successors. Unfortunately, the Blazers have had a logjam at point guard since Lillard left.<\/p>\n

The first issue was Simons getting in Henderson’s way, leaving the former G League Ignite guard to come off the bench. Now that Simons is on the Celtics<\/a>, Henderson should have a pathway. However, Holiday was the other piece in the trade, and he plays at the one spot.<\/p>\n

Billups Might Favor Holiday As The Blazers’ Starting Point Guard<\/h3>\n

Although Holiday is 35, he remains a productive point guard. In 62 games in the 2024-25 season, he averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. That is still an impressive stat line, especially since he also plays elite defense<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Throughout Billups’ four-season stint with the Trail Blazers, he has favored the veteran. That happened with how he used Simons in front of Henderson and his reliance on Jerami Grant<\/a>. Due to the latter’s injuries, Toumani Camara<\/a> and Deni Avdija<\/a> received starter minutes, but that’s another positional logjam.<\/p>\n

In 2025-26, Henderson should be a starter. He is entering his third season, and as a top prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft, he deserves starter minutes. With Holiday on the team, that might not happen due to the expectations set by his three-year $104 million contract.<\/p>\n

Portland can buck the trend and make Holiday come off the bench, but that might make him disgruntled. Billups’ plan for Holiday<\/a> must strike a balance between being a productive player and a mentor to the younger guard.<\/p>\n

Henderson Must Get More Opportunities As A Starter<\/h3>\n
\"Portland
Mar 27, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) dribbles against Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Everyone already knows that Henderson had a tough rookie season, and that hurt his reputation. During his sophomore season, he played behind Simons, but he made the most of every opportunity.<\/p>\n

In 10 games as a starter<\/a> during the 2024-25 season, Henderson averaged<\/a> 16.2 points, 6.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds. That is an impressive stretch, and he was efficient, shooting 47.5% from the field and 43.6% from distance. If Billups chooses Henderson as the Blazers’ point guard, we will see an improved version of him.<\/p>\n

Henderson will be more confident, as he knows the coach trusts him. Billups has already stated that he wants Henderson to keep working during the offseason<\/a>. That is already happening, as the young point guard had a training session with five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher.<\/p>\n

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Scoot pracuje nad rzutem z Derekiem Fisherem pic.twitter.com\/OY14mlCnjo<\/a><\/p>\n

— Lillard93 (@Lillard93) July 10, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n