The Portland Trail Blazers have been bitten by the injury bug early.

After one game, Anfernee Simons – the team's best offensive player – tore a ligament in his thumb and will miss 4-6 weeks. Then four games later, Scoot Henderson, the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and considered a future franchise cornerstone, sprained an ankle and is still out. Backup center Robert Williams III, a key defensive piece on the roster, suffered a knee injury and will be out anywhere from 2-3 months to the entire season.

And now reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcom Brogdon suffered a strained hamstring in the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings.

Where are all the guards?

While all of these injuries pose difficulties for the Blazers in their own way, Brogdon's bodes particularly poorly for Portland's short-term future. Without Brogdon, the Trail Blazers at this point in time have only one active guard, Shaedon Sharpe, who has a standard NBA contract. Skylar Mays, the other active guard on the roster, signed a two-way contract with the Blazers last month.

That, to put it mildly, is a problem.

Brogdon is producing well for the Blazers this season, averaging 18.3 points and 6.1 assists per night (prior to the game he was injured in). Almost as important as the numbers, Brogdon is a steady veteran – able to make good decisions and not get rattled down the stretch. The Blazers are the youngest team in the NBA. That sort of inexperience usually leads to difficulties in crunch-time situations. Brogdon was retained after being acquired from the Boston Celtics to help in those situations.

Without Brogdon, Jerami Grant becomes the late-game floor general for the Blazers. Against the Kings on Wednesday, Grant went off for 38 points. But down the stretch, the Kings were able to zero in on Grant due to a lack of Blazers offensive options. Grant had a turnover and missed the Blazers final three shots in the overtime loss.

What it means

The good news for the Blazers is that they don't have another game until they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. With Henderson missing the last three games, the long gap gives his ankle a chance to heal enough for him to play. But if Brogdon is out, the pressure will be on Scoot to limit his turnovers and foul rate; two issues that have plagued him so far in his rookie season.

Already, the Blazers have the worst offensive rating in the NBA. As painful as it is to say, Henderson's play so far has contributed to that. If Brogdon misses significant time, he'll need to step it up in a hurry if the Blazers want to find themselves playing competitive basketball. Portland's defense has actually been pretty good, but with Williams out for an extended period, the young guys need to step it up offensively.

Ultimately, headed into the season the Trail Blazers looked like a team with a promising starting lineup and a couple of decent bench pieces. But with multiple key pieces out, those bench pieces are forced into starting action. Sometimes it works out well, as in Sharpe's case. But even then, the reserve minutes need to come from somewhere, and often from guys playing slightly out of position.

Hopefully for the Blazers, Brogdon won't miss too much time. Without speculating as to the severity of his injury, hamstring injuries tend to linger if not given adequate treatment and rest. In the meantime, the Blazers' depth will be tested in a major way.