Scoot Henderson had quite a debut in the NBA Playoffs, but he was more thrilled by the performance of his teammate, Deni Avdija.
Although Henderson and the Portland Trail Blazers dropped Game 1 of their series against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, the former No. 3 overall pick didn’t hide his appreciation for Avdija’s notable feat.
During the postgame presser, Henderson had a great response when informed that Avdija became just the third player ever in NBA history to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a playoff debut.
“That’s amazing, first of all. Congratulations to Deni, I’m gonna tell him right after this, Henderson said.
“I’m super happy for him, but man, Deni is an amazing talent. You know what I’m saying. You don’t see many players like that, just aggressive. Swiss army knife. It’s so fun to play with him, and that’s probably terrible to play against him.”
Scoot Henderson on the fact that Deni Avdija became the 3rd ever player to have 30-10-5 on his playoffs debut. Scoot was asked:
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 20, 2026
"What else is there to be said about Deni? How do you also describe him as a leader?"
Scoot:
"That's amazing, first of all. Congratulations to Deni,… pic.twitter.com/fCcODtb2Bz
Avdija has truly blossomed in Portland. He earned his first-ever All-Star nod during the 2025-26 season, his second campaign with the Blazers, and is now playing a major role for a Portland squad that is looking to solve Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the first round.
Henderson, on the other hand, isn’t having the career trajectory the Blazers envisioned when they took him in the 2023 NBA Draft behind Wembanyama and Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets, but if his Game 1 performance was any indication, Portland fans have reason to expect him to have a strong individual series against the Spurs.
