The Blazers’ crowded backcourt could end up making Jrue Holiday look even more valuable.
Portland’s offseason move for Ja Morant changed the shape of the roster, and it also created a real question for new head coach Micah Nori: how do you fit all the guards in without giving away too much on the defensive end? Morant and Damian Lillard were initially expected to share the starting backcourt, but that plan is far from settled. Training camp will tell that story.
If Nori does choose to open with Morant and Lillard together, Holiday may be the biggest beneficiary. In that setup, he’d be the obvious candidate to come off the bench and instantly enter the Sixth Man of the Year conversation.
That’s not just because of name value. Holiday has long shown he can do more than his 6-foot-4 frame suggests, including holding his own at times against Victor Wembanyama in Portland’s first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.
But starting Morant, Lillard, and Holiday together would push the Blazers into a difficult tradeoff. They’d gain ball security, sure, but they’d also risk losing whatever defensive identity still survives after the Morant deal.
The better fit in the frontcourt appears to be Toumani Camara, whose 6-foot-7 frame and seven-foot wingspan make him a cleaner match next to Deni Avdija. Camara’s value comes from doing the little things, doing them well, and affecting both ends without needing the ball. Holiday can do some of that too, even if his athleticism isn’t what it once was at 36.
That versatility becomes even more useful if he’s asked to anchor the second unit. He can cover positions one through three, and that kind of flexibility matters for a Portland roster that has already had to absorb some major personnel changes.
Nori should also think about using Holiday at small forward more often. Last season, Holiday spent 75 percent of his time at point guard and the other 25 percent at shooting guard.
But he has logged time at the three before, including 59 percent of the time in 2017-18 with the New Orleans Pelicans. A more balanced split across the three guard and wing spots would make sense now.
That’s especially true with Shaedon Sharpe out for roughly six months after suffering a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. Portland’s bench suddenly needs someone who can create offense, and Holiday can do that. He also helps cover forward minutes after Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, and Matisse Thybulle are now elsewhere.
For that reason, Portland was right to keep him after the Morant trade. Holiday looked good in his first season with the Blazers, and the roster moves Joe Cronin made this offseason only sharpen the case for keeping him. The team has already signaled to other clubs that Holiday is not being shopped as a follow-up move, and that makes sense.
When the season starts, the reason becomes pretty clear: Holiday solves more problems than he creates. Even in the later stages of his career, he still fills holes Portland can’t ignore.
And if Nori does send him to the bench, Holiday’s case for Sixth Man of the Year gets stronger by the day.
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What makes Sochan intriguing is the same thing that makes his path uneasy. Portland likes the defensive flexibility he can bring by guarding multiple positions, but the offensive side of his game remains a limitation, which puts real weight on how he looks in camp and how he fits into the depth picture. For a team sorting through its backup forward options, his presence adds another layer to a competition that could come down to who can do the most without needing the ball. [Read more 🡒]