For the second time in his career, Gerald Henderson underwent minor hip surgery on his left hip. The surgery, more specifically, was a debridement arthroscopy, summarized by CSN as the shaving or smoothing of the torn portion of the labrum to eliminate further tearing. It’s reported that this surgery is not related to his other procedure back in 2011, which sidelined him for several months between the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 season.
Based on the surgery, Henderson is expected to be in crutches for around two weeks, but is set to be healthy before the start of training camp.
Henderson was acquired by the Portland Trail Blazers via trade on June 24th that sent Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets. Along with Henderson, Noah Vonleh joined Damian Lillard and the Blazers. Portland had a difficult offseason, losing LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez to free agency. Henderson is one of the bright spots for the young and inexperienced Blazer team.
Last season for Charlotte, he averaged 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in 80 games played. Henderson saw an increase in floor time after starting point guard Kemba Walker went down with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Walker missed a total of 18 games following his surgery, and afterwards coupled with Henderson to form a formidable backcourt. Also, Lance Stephenson lost his starting privileges early in the season, opening up space for Henderson to shine.
Because four of Portland’s five starters joined other teams this offseason, he’s almost guaranteed a starting position, most likely at shooting guard. His only competition is CJ McCollum, whom GM Neil Olshey is relying on to spark the Blazers season. Coach Terry Stotts will undoubtedly experiment with many different lineups throughout the season in hopes of finding one that works. If Henderson can assume a leadership role with a young Blazer squad, he could cement his role as a starter in Rip City. Similar to with Kemba Walker, he and Damian Lillard have the capability to combine for a deadly yet underrated backcourt duo.