There’s just something peculiar about Portland Trail Blazers lottery picks and shoulder injuries during their Summer League debuts. A mere year after Shaedon Sharpe’s highly-anticipated debut was truncated due to a shoulder issue, the Blazers were forced to endure a little bit of déjà vu, this time in the form of No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson.
This, alongside injuries to both Keon Johnson (finger) and Houston’s No. 4 pick Amen Thompson (ankle) put dampers on what was an otherwise incredibly-entertaining Summer League showdown. The nail in the proverbial coffin came shortly thereafter with the Blazers, in a show of terrible clock mismanagement, fumbling a 99-95 lead with eight seconds to go, highlighted by Jabari Smith Jr.