Deni Avdija keeps looking more and more like the engine of the Portland Trail Blazers’ offense.
That was on full display in Wednesday’s 132-119 win over the Phoenix Suns, when Avdija put together a near triple-double with 21 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds. The assists were a season high, and they came with Ja Morant sidelined, giving Avdija even more responsibility as Portland’s point forward.
Morant is in danger of missing potentially all of November after suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain against Memphis, but the Blazers have already shown they can keep things moving without him. Wednesday’s victory was Portland’s third straight without Morant, and it reinforced how much this team can lean on Avdija when the offense needs a steady hand.
That role isn’t new for him. Last season, Portland’s backcourt was hit by injury after injury, beginning with Scoot Henderson getting hurt before the season even started. Avdija responded with an All-Star season and a breakout year under Tiago Splitter, with the ball in his hands and the freedom to run more of the show.
Now the Blazers are seeing the next version of that under Micah Nori. Portland has a better supporting cast, and the offense is built around a 25-year-old Avdija who keeps getting better. According to HoopsHype’s Global Rating, he’s currently the 7th best player this season, sitting between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cade Cunningham.
That ranking may be a little rich, but it says plenty about how well Avdija and Portland have started.
The fit around him matters too. Damian Lillard has given Avdija another layer of playmaking and spacing, and the veteran made it clear where the hierarchy stands.
“Coming in, I told him, ‘I want you to be the horse,”’ Lillard said. “Ja said the same thing.”
That kind of clarity matters when a roster has a lot of moving parts. Portland came into the season with a tricky setup and a first-year head coach, which usually means some early friction.
But Nori arrives with 28 years of experience, and the backcourt veterans have helped make the transition smoother. Lillard and Jrue Holiday bring obvious value, and Morant has also shown himself to be an underappreciated leader in that group.
What started as a necessity because of injuries has turned into something more useful for the Blazers. Avdija’s point-forward role has become a real feature of the offense, and it’s a big reason he’s such a tough matchup. His blend of size, strength and skill makes him dangerous when he gets downhill, and Portland’s new guards haven’t crowded him out of that role.
Instead, they’ve fit around it. The result has been a 6-1 start and an offense that looks increasingly comfortable running through Avdija.
In Other News...
Damian Lillard Had Every Reason To Explode Over Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks managed to turn a routine stoppage into one of those moments that instantly grabs everyones attention. During a game, the Phoenix Suns wing appeared to try to step on Damian Lillards Achilles after a whistle, and Lillard reacted immediately by confronting him before referees and coaches stepped in to keep it from getting any worse. Lillard was not injured, but the sequence still had the kind of edge that can linger long after the possession is over.
For Portland fans, it was another reminder of how quickly things can get heated when Lillard is involved in a physical matchup. He has always carried himself with a calm, steady presence, so when he goes straight at an opponent like that, it says plenty about how serious the moment felt. The incident ended without further escalation, but it left plenty of room for questions about what Brooks was trying to do and how the league will view the exchange. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Backcourt Takes Another Hit After Vt Krej Scare
Vt Krejs night ended in a hurry late in the third quarter against the Suns, and the sight of him leaving the arena on crutches with a protective boot only deepened the concern around Portlands backcourt. The Trail Blazers were already dealing with multiple injuries in that area, so another setback there is the last thing they needed as the season moves along.
The immediate issue now is the uncertainty around how long Krej will be out, with the team still waiting to learn more about the fracture to his lower left leg or ankle and whether surgery will be part of the recovery plan. For a Blazers group trying to piece together guard minutes on the fly, even a short absence would be a problem, and this one could linger well beyond that. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Brooks Is Giving Suns Fans The Wrong Kind Of Headlines
Dillon Brooks managed to turn a regular-season meeting with Portland into the kind of night that lingers long after the final buzzer. After a whistle, he kicked the back of Damian Lillards left leg, setting off a brief confrontation between the two before Lillard answered the moment the old-fashioned way, by getting back to work and finishing at the rim with Brooks in the picture.
The Blazers walked away with a 132-119 win, and Lillards 25 points helped make sure the on-court response mattered more than the post-whistle heat. Brooks still finished with 15 points for Phoenix, but the bigger takeaway for Portland was how quickly the game tilted from irritation to control, with Lillard making sure the last memorable play belonged to him. [Read more 🡒]