TUALATIN - The wait is over for the Portland Trail Blazers.
After weeks of voluntary workouts, pickup runs, six days of training camp and a Fan Fest scrimmage, the Blazers finally get a real opponent Wednesday night when they host the Golden State Warriors at Moda Center. It’s their preseason opener, the first of four exhibition games before the regular season starts Oct. 21, and this one carries more buzz than a typical October tune-up.
There’s a lot to watch. Ja Morant will suit up for his first game in a Blazers uniform.
Damian Lillard is back for his first NBA game since April 27, 2025, when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks. The roster around them looks deeper than Portland’s recent groups, and the new faces keep coming with Branden Carlson, Micah Potter and Jeremy Sochan all set to make their first impression on Blazers fans.
And on the sideline, Micah Nori is about to coach his first game in charge.
“It’s going good,” Nori said with a smile when asked how he was doing. “We get to play somebody else tomorrow, so it’s good.”
Nori hasn’t locked in his starting five yet, but he said he has a “pretty good idea” where he’s leaning. The most likely opening group has Morant and Lillard in the backcourt, with Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan filling out the front line. That’s the unit that has reportedly spent much of camp together, though Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson remain part of the mix at guard.
Nori made it clear he won’t treat Wednesday like a referendum on the depth chart.
“It’s just about trying to find the right combinations, whether (it’s at the) start, in the middle (or) at the end of games,” Nori said.
He also said the Blazers will use their main players in regular first-half minutes before trimming the load after halftime. The plan is for key guys to get one second-half stint, with rotation players landing in the 18-20 minute range.
“I think it’s very difficult - in a good way,” Nori said, “when you have nine or 10 guys for sure, even closer to 11 or 12, that feel like they can play NBA minutes - and we believe they can play NBA minutes - to try to find enough time for all of them.”
The exhibition play won’t reveal much in terms of scheme. Nori said the Blazers will keep things “very vanilla” while he focuses on the two issues he’s pushed all camp: defensive rebounding and turnovers.
For him, though, this first look is also about how the pieces fit. He wants to see how Portland’s returning core blends with its two All-Star additions, and he’s especially interested in what another season of Deni Avdija looks like on the defensive end.
“I’m really curious just to see how this group … incorporates Ja and Dame, two guys that are dynamic pieces to add to this group,” Nori said. “I also look forward to another year of Deni. We’re asking him to be more of a two-way guy, because we don’t have to rely on him for all the offensive stuff that this team had to down the stretch of last year … So that’s what I’m excited about.”
In Other News...
Blazers Owner Just Raised The Stakes For Portlands New Era
Tom Dundon used a message to season ticket holders to put a clear target on the Trail Blazers next chapter, framing Portlands recent progress as just the beginning. He pointed to the teams 42-win season, its return to the playoffs and a summer that brought in major names, signaling that the organization expects the current momentum to mean something bigger.
The letter also nodded to the anticipation around Damian Lillards return, giving this new era an added layer of intrigue for fans trying to gauge how quickly the Blazers can move from promising to serious contender. Dundon said the team is working to keep the Moda Center among the NBAs best venues, but he did not lay out any specific arena plans, leaving the bigger picture of what comes next open for now. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Fans Already Have A New Ownership Controversy To Process
Tom Dundons first months as the Trail Blazers owner already have had plenty going on, with the franchise trying to settle a new direction around Ja Morant, new head coach Micah Nori and a young core that includes Deni Avdija. So when he sent a letter to season ticket holders meant to reassure them about the teams commitment to Portland, it was always going to draw attention beyond the usual routine ownership message.
The problem is the letter itself has now become part of the conversation, not just its intent. Fans who were supposed to be hearing a steadying note about the future are instead parsing how the message was put together, and for a team trying to project stability after a flurry of major basketball changes, that is not the kind of side story anyone in the building wanted to add to the pile. [Read more 🡒]
Scoot Henderson Suddenly Faces A Blazers Question Fans Cant Ignore
Scoot Hendersons place in Portland has become one of the more interesting questions on the roster as the offseason approaches. The 2025-26 season showed signs of real progress, but the path to a bigger role is not exactly wide open with Damian Lillard, Ja Morant and Jrue Holiday all crowding the backcourt picture.
For the Trail Blazers, that makes Henderson more than just a young guard trying to take the next step. League chatter has already brought trade interest his way, yet Portland has made it clear it still sees him as part of its future, which only raises the stakes around how the next phase of his development gets handled. [Read more 🡒]