Ja Morant didn’t need much to get fired up. One workout clip from Damian Lillard was enough.
Lillard’s recent shooting session has been making the rounds, with the Blazers veteran reportedly hitting 1,100 of 1,168 shots, a ridiculous 94.2% mark. The video showed a noticeably leaner Lillard, and for Portland, it offered a reminder that even after an Achilles tear in 2025 cost him the entire 2025-26 campaign, he can still be a serious factor.
That matters for Morant, who is heading into his first season in Portland with plenty to prove and plenty of questions still hanging over him. The reaction online was simple and loud: “Ja Morant is READY to play with Dame 👀 https://t.co/w5D2c0OdcH pic.twitter.com/FBWOD62iTM”
Lillard’s résumé explains the buzz. Before injuries and age started to chip away at his prime, he was the face of the Trail Blazers and one of the league’s most respected guards. His career line in Portland tells the story: 25.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 43.9% shooting.
Nobody is pretending he’ll be that version forever. But even if he’s not living at that old level, Lillard can still help in ways that matter - spacing the floor, steering the offense, and giving Portland a steady veteran presence. The workout clip only added to the belief that he’ll still be able to do exactly that.
For Morant, the move comes after a difficult stretch. His reputation took a hit, his career was knocked off course, and now he’s trying to rebuild in a new place. Last season, he posted 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game as Memphis struggled to keep pace.
Portland gives him a reset. It also gives him a chance to play without the same weight of expectations, especially with Shaedon Sharpe injured and the Blazers not viewed as title contenders. Even so, there’s a path to something better if Morant gets back to All-Star form.
He’ll have help around him, too. Between Lillard, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, and Deni Avdija, the Blazers have enough talent and depth to push for a top-six seed next season. It won’t all click overnight, but Morant has already bought into the challenge - and after a dark stretch, that fresh start may be exactly what he needs.
In Other News...
Former Blazer Brandon Williams Could Haunt Portland In The West
Brandon Williams was one of those brief Blazers flashes that never fully left the building. The guard spent his rookie season in Portland in 2021-22, then had to work his way back into the league after the team moved on from him in October 2022. A stint in the G League followed, and he eventually landed with Dallas in December 2023, where his game started to settle in over time.
Now Williams is heading to Golden State, a move that gives him another chance to stick as a rotation guard after a strong run of development in Dallas. For Portland, it is the sort of old storyline that can suddenly become relevant again if a former young piece finds traction elsewhere, especially in the West where familiarity can cut both ways. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Face One Big Question As Dame And Ja Raise Expectations
The early buzz around Portlands 2026-27 outlook is easy to understand. Damian Lillard is back, Ja Morant arrives as a new jolt to the roster, and together they give the Trail Blazers the kind of star power that can change how the rest of the West views them. Even with national projections calling for only a modest step forward, there is a real sense that Portland could move from intriguing to dangerous if the fit comes together.
Shaedon Sharpes absence complicates the picture, though, because the Blazers are trying to build momentum without one of their most explosive young pieces. Various power rankings still place Portland in the same general neighborhood, with the team hovering around the No. 7 seed range and ESPN projecting a 43-win season, so the gap between optimism and expectations remains narrow. For a team trying to make a jump, the question is less about upside than whether the Blazers can translate star talent into something steadier before the calendar turns to the spring. [Read more 🡒]