Blazers Pull the Plug on Scoot Henderson's Starting Stint Just in Time for the Thunder

The Portland Trail Blazers are pulling the plug on the Scoot Henderson starting experiment again, which is exactly the kind of news you want to hear right before playing the Oklahoma City Thunder.

According to Chris Haynes, Portland is moving Henderson back to a reserve role after a brief five-game starting stint. In his place, third-year forward Sidy Cissoko gets the nod tonight against Oklahoma City.

"Chris Haynes reported the lineup change, noting Henderson's move to the bench after a five-game starting streak."

Henderson has already spent roughly a quarter of his young career in street clothes dealing with various minor injuries, and now he is getting demoted to the second unit. This is the kind of roster shuffling that screams a franchise is just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.

Cissoko actually makes some sense here if you look at the tape. The 22-year-old recently dropped 19 points in a 124-95 blowout loss to this exact same Thunder squad. If you are looking at player props tonight, Cissoko getting starter minutes against a team he already cooked once is the only interesting angle on the Portland side.

The broader team context is grim. The Blazers are coming off back-to-back double-digit losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. Meanwhile, the Thunder just obliterated the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies by a combined 70 points. Putting a struggling former top pick on the bench to start a young wing is certainly a choice when a buzzsaw is rolling into your arena.

We will see if the second unit gives Henderson the breathing room he desperately needs to find his rhythm. If Cissoko pops off again tonight, Scoot might be getting very comfortable in that reserve chair.