Scoot Henderson (ankle) upgraded to available

As expected, Henderson replaced Ja Morant (hamstring) in the starting lineup on Saturday. Unfortunately, he produced one assist and four turnovers in 31 minutes, but his steals tally was solid. Jrue Holiday (14/4/3/1 with two three-pointers) played nine fewer minutes than Henderson and was the more efficient of the two. Henderson is worth rostering while Morant sits, but those who add him will likely have to accept the efficiency issues.

Morant sustained the injury on Thursday against his former team, and it will cost him the next month, at minimum. Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday should see the most run in Morant’s absence, but it’s not yet known which of the pair will start alongside Damian Lillard.

Morant was ruled out more than halfway through the fourth quarter, and they pulled the starters a couple minutes later. This could have been precautionary, but the team should provide more of an update in the coming days. Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday should take on more minutes if Morant misses time, with Jrue likely starting.

Henderson has come off the bench in each of Portland’s first two games, most recently playing 21 minutes in Friday’s win over the Kings. If he can’t play on Tuesday, Vit Krejčí may get more playing time, as he played just three minutes against Sacramento.

Among the four guards in Portland’s rotation, Henderson (19 minutes) played the least on Wednesday. He played nine of those minutes after halftime, while starters Ja Morant and Damian Lillard and reserve Jrue Holiday (8/4/1/2) logged between seven and nine minutes each. While Henderson having a role won’t be an issue for him, his playing time might be, especially against tougher opponents.

With Ja Morant and Damian Lillard added to the roster, Henderson will remain in a reserve role this season. That makes it imperative that he improves his efficiency to provide reliable fantasy value. Over his career, Henderson is a 40.4 percent shooter from the field and has averaged 2.9 turnovers per game. Given Portland’s perimeter depth, Scoot’s fantasy outlook isn’t great, even though he will remain in the rotation.

Henderson’s first playoff appearance had some good moments but ended on a sour note. Through the first three games, he averaged 23.3 points and 4.0 triples, which had many people thinking he was finally showing some of the potential that made him the No. 3 pick in 2023. However, he was held scoreless in Game 4, and while he was able to get some points on the board in this one, he was benched for the end of the game and limited to 17 minutes. Henderson is still only 22 years old and has plenty of time to figure things out, but he’s going to have to make a major leap heading into next season to convince the Blazers he’s still an important part of their future.

After totaling 23 points in the first three games of this series, Grant had his most productive outing in Game 4. Shooting 50 percent from the field, the veteran forward recorded a complete stat line in 33 minutes. With Scoot Henderson (two assists and one steal) missing all seven of his shot attempts, Grant’s playing time jumped considerably, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Trail Blazers from being outscored 73-35 in the second half. Game 5 is on Tuesday, with the Trail Blazers one loss away from elimination.

Henderson found his rhythm with a 15-point second half in Sunday’s Game 1 loss to the Spurs and it carried over to Game 2 as he posted 31 points in the win. The 22-year-old guard’s three-point shooting was a major factor in this one as he was 5-of-9 from behind the arc. The series shifts to Portland for Game 3 on Friday.

After a quiet, three-point first half, Henderson found his rhythm in his playoff debut and scored 15 points after halftime to finish as Portland’s second-leading scorer on the evening. Henderson shot efficiently in his 27 minutes both inside and outside the arc, and was one of the Blazers’ more reliable starters overall. The former third-overall pick has logged some impressive scoring performances recently in his return from injury. He’ll have a chance to build off some Game 1 momentum and carry it over on Tuesday when the Blazers and Spurs take the floor again.