Ja Morant’s first stretch with the Trail Blazers looked like the kind of fresh start that can change a season. Then came Thursday’s left hamstring injury, and with it, a hard stop.
Morant will not be reevaluated for another four weeks, a frustrating turn for both player and team after he had settled in so smoothly following Portland’s summer trade for him. In his first three games, he averaged 16.3 points and 6.3 assists, and the Blazers won all three. Bill Oram of The Oregonian wrote that the injury could disrupt the early momentum Morant and Portland had built together.
That’s what makes the timing sting. Morant’s run in Memphis had ended with a long list of issues - repeated injuries, off-court problems and clashes with the coaching staff - but in Portland, he looked comfortable almost immediately. Coach Micah Nori said, “I think what he sees here is that he’s on a good ballclub with a lot of good offensive players and he doesn’t have to do everything,” and added that he expected Morant to adjust, even if the speed of the transition still caught him off guard.
There is at least one encouraging note: Oram reported that Morant will not need surgery, and there’s a chance he could return by the end of November. Still, the injury arrives so early that it naturally raises questions about durability and what it could mean for the Blazers’ season.
With Morant out, Scoot Henderson stepped into the starting lineup for Saturday’s game at Utah, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Nori kept Jrue Holiday with the second unit, saying he didn’t want to be tempted to give extended minutes to Holiday or fellow 36-year-old guard Damian Lillard. Henderson, who is headed for restricted free agency, finished with 14 points, three rebounds, three steals and four turnovers in 31 minutes.
Freeman also pointed to Henderson’s standing inside the organization. He had been labeled the team’s “training camp MVP,” and now he has a chance to boost his value before next summer’s contract talks.
Deni Avdija, meanwhile, has been pushed into the background by the noise around the roster, but Freeman described him as the franchise’s cornerstone. The presence of Lillard and Morant in the backcourt has opened things up for Avdija, and Freeman wrote that it has already led to a major jump in his offensive efficiency early in the season.
Vit Krejci also saw his workload climb with Morant unavailable. Sahal Arwo of SI noted that the 26-year-old guard played a season-high 24 minutes on Saturday. Krejci, who was acquired from Atlanta in February, has been used sparingly this season, but the injury shuffle gave him a bigger role.
In Other News...
Deni Avdija Is Giving Blazers Fans A Real Rotation Debate
Deni Avdija keeps making it harder for the Trail Blazers to think of him as anything less than a central piece of what they are doing. In Portlands 112-90 win over Utah, he led the team with 24 points and was right in the middle of a defensive effort that turned the game into a comfortable road victory, the clubs third away win of the season.
The Blazers forced 20 turnovers and held the Jazz to 37% shooting, the kind of performance that usually reflects more than just one hot night from a scorer. With Micah Nori starting Scoot Henderson in place of the injured Ja Morant and managing minutes for veterans Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, Avdijas all-around impact only sharpened the question of where he fits when the rotation gets tighter and the games start to matter more. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Win Offered A Telling Early Look At Portlands Rotation
The early-season road trip has already given Portland a clearer picture of how its rotation might take shape, and the latest stop only sharpened that view. In a 112-90 win over Utah, the Trail Blazers moved to 3-0 away from home and 4-1 overall, with Scoot Henderson stepping into the starting group in place of the injured Ja Morant and logging the most minutes on the team. He finished with 14 points and three steals, part of a night when Portlands depth and defensive energy stood out from the opening stretch.
Deni Avdija again looked like one of the most important pieces in the mix, pacing all players with 24 points while posting a plus-minus of plus-32. Jakub Krejci also showed some encouraging signs after a slow start to the season, another small but useful development for a team still sorting out who fits where. For a roster trying to find its identity early, wins like this can be about more than the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Damian Lillard Sees Something Real In This Blazers Start
The Trail Blazers early surge has started to look less like a hot opening and more like something sturdier, and Damian Lillard noticed it after Portlands 112-90 road win over the Jazz. The victory pushed the Blazers to 4-1 and kept them tied for the fourth seed in the Western Conference, with Lillard leading the way with 22 points while pointing to the teams preparation and defensive effort as the biggest reasons for the fast start.
For a Portland team trying to establish an identity early, the encouraging part is not just the record but the way the wins are coming together. Lillards comments suggested he sees real substance in the groups approach, and with the Blazers already stacking results away from home, the next question is whether this level of play can hold once the schedule starts asking more of them. [Read more 🡒]