The Portland Trail Blazers’ new backcourt is already creating a tricky decision before the season even starts, and Micah Nori has made the direction pretty clear. He does not plan to start Ja Morant and Damian Lillard together, which means one of the two All-Star point guards will have to come off the bench.
That is the kind of choice that changes everything. For Portland, starting Lillard makes the most sense because of his elite shooting. But if that happens, Morant is the one who loses out.
The fit question is obvious, but so is the personality test. Morant coming off the bench likely will not sit well with him, especially after he previously clashed with his former coach in Memphis over not being featured enough in the offense. That history is hard to ignore.
Still, there is a basketball case for the move. Morant’s production has slipped sharply since his peak, when he averaged a career-high 27.4 points per game in 2021-22. A reserve role could, in theory, put him in position to reinvent himself and even enter the Sixth Man of the Year conversation.
Whether he would embrace that is another matter. His recent track record suggests he may bristle at the idea.
That creates the central question for Portland: why trade for Morant if the pairing with Lillard was always going to be awkward? The answer depends on whether the Blazers can get him to buy in.
There is also the matter of how Morant has handled coaching changes before. He has not always shown a willingness to adapt, including when he did not see eye to eye with Toumas Lisalo. That does not exactly build confidence that he will welcome a bench role.
If Portland can get him to accept it, the roster starts to make more sense. Starting Lillard and Jrue Holiday together is a cleaner fit, with Lillard’s shooting and Holiday’s defense giving the Blazers a more balanced opening group.
That does not mean Morant is locked out of the mix entirely. The Blazers could still use three-guard lineups with Lillard, Morant, and Holiday. But Nori’s comments make it plain that he is not planning to go that route from the start.
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 🡒]