The Knicks’ run to a title offered the kind of template Portland has been looking for.
In a league that keeps rewarding teams willing to build around an undersized offensive guard, New York’s success with Jalen Brunson should have the Trail Blazers paying attention. That matters even more now that Portland is trying to sort through a crowded backcourt after Damian Lillard’s return and the buy-low swing on Ja Morant.
First-year head coach Micah Nori has a roster puzzle on his hands, but the Knicks gave him a clear example of how a team can cover for a small guard’s limitations and still win big. Brunson’s rise to top-ten status changed the conversation around what kind of player can anchor a contender, and Portland’s front office has already leaned into that idea with the way Joe Cronin has shaped the roster this summer.
That’s a sharp departure from Lillard’s first run in Portland, when the Blazers had regular-season success but never quite found the right postseason formula. Lillard and CJ McCollum could score with anyone, but the pieces around them never consistently fit. The result was a talented team that kept running into the same ceiling.
This version of the Blazers looks different. The Lillard trade to the Milwaukee Bucks eventually opened the door for Portland to stock up on the kind of support players it once lacked. Now the roster includes Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, and Robert Williams III - a group built to defend, protect the rim, and take pressure off the guards.
That’s where the Knicks comparison really lands. New York was able to mask Brunson’s defensive shortcomings with a wing group that could do the dirty work, using Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges to hold the line. Portland can see the same blueprint taking shape with Holiday, Camara, and Avdija around Lillard, plus the Clingan-Williams center rotation giving the Blazers what might be one of the league’s best defensive anchor combinations after the extension for Time Lord.
The challenge now is keeping the Ja Morant addition from muddying the picture.
On paper, the Knicks’ title run should leave Portland feeling good about where this rebuild is headed. The Blazers had already shown signs of progress with a playoff appearance last season, and the return of a healthy Lillard only added to that momentum. If Morant gets back to All-Star level, Cronin’s latest move could end up looking bold in the best way.
But the fit is less straightforward than the Knicks’ model. New York showed Portland the kind of roster construction that works around a star guard.
Morant, at least for now, makes that equation a little messier. Nori’s first season will be about sorting through that tension without letting it pull the whole operation off course.
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 🡒]