What happened to Scoot Henderson? Closer look at Trail Blazers guard's absence against Rockets

According to "The Oregonian/Oregon Live," Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson was involved in what was described as a minor car accident on Thursday. It was the day before Portland played the Rockets in Houston.

After exiting Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City with what was described as a quad contusion, Henderson then missed Friday's game against Houston.

At the time, his quad and a back strain were listed as the reasons for his absence. However, the latest report provides further clarity on Henderson's status ahead of tonight's rematch between the Blazers and the Rockets.

Per the NBA.com's 2:30 p.m. ET injury report, Henderson is listed as out with only a back strain, with no mention of the quad strain from earlier in the week. So far, there's been no word on the events of the crash beyond the fact that it was described by "The Oregonian/Oregon Live" as being a "minor" one.

Henderson's absence from tonight's game will mark his second straight missed matchup amid a season that has seen the former No. 3 pick struggle to find his shot from downtown.

Given that Portland is coming off a 116-88 loss to Houston on Friday, his absence will leave coach Chauncey Billups looking to other players. These players include Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija to fill the gap left in the Blazer's offense.

Looking at Scoot Henderson's stats so far this season compared to his rookie year amid Blazers' 6-10 start to campaign

So far this season, Scoot Henderson's numbers have dropped in several key areas. During his rookie season, he averaged 14.0 points per game, whereas this season, he's averaging 11.3 ppg.

In addition, Henderson's rebounding and assist numbers have seen minor drops as well, from 3.1 rpg to 2.9 and 5.4 apg to 5.2. From downtown, Henderson's shooting went from 32.5% last year to 28.3% this year, however, his field goal percentage is up from 38.5% to 40.6%.

Despite this, the second-year guard was praised by both coach Chauncey Billups and teammates early on in the year as he showcased his basketball IQ. After kicking off the team's season with a 22-point outing in their opener, and a 15-point night just two days later, Henderson was praised by Billups to media members post-game:

"I thought Scoot played really well. We needed everything he brought tonight ... I thought he ran the team pretty good. He got the team organized in a lot of the situations, so I was happy for Scoot.

"He’s just learning how to finish in a variety of different ways. But when he attacks the basket with the ferocity that he did tonight, even some of those [larger centers] are in trouble because they never want to foul.”

Similarly, he was also praised by Jerami Grant after a narrow loss to the Pelicans in late October when Scoot Henderson logged 15 points and six assists.

With the Blazers currently sitting in 13th place in a stacked Western Conference, two games behind the Sacramento Kings, Henderson's absence will create a void in Portland's offense.