The Portland Trail Blazers made one of the offseason’s biggest swings when they traded for Ja Morant, and the move immediately raised the same question: how exactly does this roster all fit together?
On paper, Portland now has a crowded guard group. In practice, the Blazers may have found the exact two players who can smooth out Morant’s rough edges. Damian Lillard brings the kind of three-point shooting that can keep the floor open when Morant attacks downhill, while Jrue Holiday gives Portland a perimeter stopper who can help cover for some of Morant’s defensive limitations.
That pairing matters because Morant’s game is built around pressure. At his best, he is one of the league’s most dangerous drivers, a capable playmaker, and a player who forces defenses to react.
But he is not a strong three-point shooter, which makes spacing a real concern if he’s surrounded by the wrong mix of teammates. Lillard helps solve that problem by giving Portland another legitimate threat from deep.
Holiday addresses the other side of the equation. Morant is not a great defender, and while he isn’t a liability, his size limits him. Holiday, by contrast, is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, the kind of player who can take on the tougher assignments and steady things on that end.
The Blazers’ approach seems clear: add talent first and sort out the fit later. Trading for Morant was a bold bet on upgrading the roster, even with the questions that came with the deal. And if Portland is going to make that gamble work, Lillard and Holiday look like the two players best suited to make life easier for their new star.
Morant has had a stretch of uneven seasons, never quite looking like the best version of himself because of suspensions or injury issues. Now, with Portland, he has a real chance to get back to that level. The Blazers have plenty of talent, and with Lillard and Holiday alongside him, some of Morant’s biggest shortcomings should be less of a problem next season.
In Other News...
Blazers Owner Just Raised The Stakes For Portlands New Era
Tom Dundon used a message to season ticket holders to put a clear target on the Trail Blazers next chapter, framing Portlands recent progress as just the beginning. He pointed to the teams 42-win season, its return to the playoffs and a summer that brought in major names, signaling that the organization expects the current momentum to mean something bigger.
The letter also nodded to the anticipation around Damian Lillards return, giving this new era an added layer of intrigue for fans trying to gauge how quickly the Blazers can move from promising to serious contender. Dundon said the team is working to keep the Moda Center among the NBAs best venues, but he did not lay out any specific arena plans, leaving the bigger picture of what comes next open for now. [Read more 🡒]
New-Look Blazers Finally Give Fans A First Real Look
The preseason opener at Moda Center gives Portland its first live look at a roster that has been reshaped enough to feel familiar and foreign at the same time. Against the Warriors, the Trail Blazers begin a schedule that is less about the result than about learning how the pieces fit, and head coach Micah Nori has already signaled that this month will be used to test lineups while sharpening the basics, especially defensive rebounding and taking care of the ball.
The biggest draw is the new backcourt and the way it changes everything around it, with Ja Morant and Damian Lillard now part of the same Blazers picture for the first time. Portland also has other newcomers working into the rotation, so the early exhibitions should offer at least a glimpse of how the offense and defense might look once Nori settles on combinations and the team gets past the first wave of experimentation. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Fans Already Have A New Ownership Controversy To Process
Tom Dundons first months as the Trail Blazers owner already have had plenty going on, with the franchise trying to settle a new direction around Ja Morant, new head coach Micah Nori and a young core that includes Deni Avdija. So when he sent a letter to season ticket holders meant to reassure them about the teams commitment to Portland, it was always going to draw attention beyond the usual routine ownership message.
The problem is the letter itself has now become part of the conversation, not just its intent. Fans who were supposed to be hearing a steadying note about the future are instead parsing how the message was put together, and for a team trying to project stability after a flurry of major basketball changes, that is not the kind of side story anyone in the building wanted to add to the pile. [Read more 🡒]