One preseason game is a small sample, but Portland’s 123-118 win over the Golden State Warriors still offered a real glimpse at how this team might look once the games count.
The biggest takeaway was Deni Avdija. He came out sharp, pouring in 23 points in 21 minutes and hitting 9 of 13 shots. That kind of performance doesn’t lock in the rest of the season, but it does point toward an offensive setup that could work for the Trail Blazers if they can keep it humming.
The fit with Damian Lillard is easy to see. Lillard’s perimeter gravity should pull defenders away from the paint, which opens cleaner driving lanes for Avdija.
When defenders have to respect the three-point threat, they’re more likely to sag into help positions, and that gives Avdija more room to attack the rim. If Portland leans into that action consistently, it could become the team’s most reliable source of offense.
That’s where the conversation starts to shift toward Ja Morant. In the win, he looked rusty, finishing with four turnovers and pushing the pace too hard at times.
Those are the kinds of issues the coaching staff will want to clean up as the preseason moves along. Morant has spent his NBA career in a lead role, so this is a different assignment.
Now he has to find a way to fit as a complementary piece alongside Avdija and Lillard. That’s not something he’s had to do much of with the Memphis Grizzlies, where the offense largely ran through him. In Portland, the challenge is different: he needs to put himself in the right spots to score while helping the whole thing function.
How well Morant handles that adjustment could shape the Blazers’ season. If he figures it out, Portland has a chance to put together one of the league’s better offenses. If he doesn’t, this move could end up looking like the biggest swing and miss of the offseason.
In Other News...
Yang Hansen Still Has One Big Hurdle In Portlands Rotation
Yang Hansens first year with the Trail Blazers left him still searching for a foothold in the rotation, a familiar place for a young big man trying to earn trust in the frontcourt. The 16th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft flashed enough promise to stay on the radar, but his role heading into the 2026-27 season is still very much unsettled as Portland sorts through its depth inside.
A recent preseason outing offered another small step without changing the larger picture, and that is where the intrigue sits for the Blazers. Hansens development will matter, but so will the competition for minutes around him, and Portlands willingness to carve out a real role for him may depend on how quickly he can separate himself in a crowded front line. [Read more 🡒]