{"id":205305,"date":"2026-07-17T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T12:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=205305"},"modified":"2026-07-17T05:45:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:45:05","slug":"nori-hendersons-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/07\/17\/nori-hendersons-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Micah Nori Dives Into Scoot Henderson’s Role For The Blazers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Portland Trail Blazers have a unique conundrum ahead of the 2026-27 season. They will be playing under new head coach Micah Nori’s system, and they have to deal with the four-point guard problem. The Blazers’ future is still bright, especially if and when they figure out Scoot Henderson’<\/a>s role.<\/p>\n

Micah Nori Dives Into Scoot Henderson’s Role For The Blazers<\/h2>\n

Henderson is one of the most interesting players on the roster. Before the 2023-24 season, he was hailed as the future of Trail Blazers basketball. Unfortunately, he did not have the best campaign, as he struggled with his efficiency and turnovers. He could not tie down the starting point guard role because then-head coach Chauncey Billups favored Anfernee Simons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That was a recurring obstacle for Henderson, even when Simons got traded for veteran point guard Jrue Holiday<\/a>. Adding injuries to that made it worse for Henderson until he found his footing as a hybrid guard during the Blazers’ postseason run in 2026. Now, Henderson is playing for a new head coach who wants to accommodate him and the heavy guard rotation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Nori’s System Is Ready For Henderson To Play<\/h3>\n

Nori had an in-depth discussion with Sean Highkin of the Rose City Report recently about how Henderson will play in the 2026-27 season. Everyone knows that getting Damian Lillard<\/a> back and Ja Morant<\/a> in a trade muddles Henderson and Holiday’s roles, but it seems they are all bought into Nori’s system.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got to make sure we create space for him. The thing he can do is attack the paint and get downhill, and go where he wants to go. What we have to do is have good spacing, make sure the corners are filled, and then we have outlets for him to get to the paint, and if he can’t finish, then the kick-outs are right there for him where he can see,” Nori said to The Rose Garden’s Sean Highkin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

I spent some time with new Blazers head coach Micah Nori at Summer League and talked to him about his plans for Scoot Henderson, how he'll manage rotations and how the Blazers' play style could differ from what he did in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Story: https:\/\/t.co\/jtfjdElp2M<\/a><\/p>\n

— Sean Highkin (@highkin) July 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n