Portland Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson has gone through a rather tumultuous debut season in the NBA, marked by efficiency woes and some statistical ignominy. But when it rains, it pours, and Henderson now has to overcome yet another obstacle in the early goings of his career. On Friday night, the 19-year old point guard had to leave their contest against the Indiana Pacers (with the debuting Pascal Siakam) due to a nasal contusion, per Blazers PR.

On one play in the second quarter, Henderson found himself switched onto Myles Turner, and the Pacers big man tried to get position underneath to take advantage of the mismatch. In the process, the Blazers youngster took an elbow to the face.

Scoot Henderson was already dazed after the hit, but the Blazers rookie kept on fighting in the immediate aftermath of the play. Alas, after Turner drew a foul underneath on Kris Murray, Henderson proceeded to take another shot to the face from the Pacers center. Henderson immediately took off his glasses and grimaced in pain on the sidelines.

The Blazers, during the deadball, immediately took Henderson out of the game, putting Malcolm Brogdon in his place. Henderson exited the game at the 9:06 mark of the second quarter, playing in just eight minutes.

Scoot Henderson appeared to be on track for a masterful game. He began the contest on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field, on track for a solid bounce-back performance from a rough outing on Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets. But now, Henderson is dealing with another setback just as he was beginning to figure it out.

It remains unclear just how severe the injury Henderson sustained is. The Blazers reported a nasal contusion, so it's a promising sign that the rookie did not suffer a broken nose. But the injury is serious enough that it knocked him out for the rest of the game, so perhaps the 19-year old point guard could return next game with the caveat being that he needs to wear a mask to protect his nose.

The third pick of the 2023 NBA Draft has played in 27 consecutive games for the Blazers after missing nine games earlier in the season due to an ankle injury.