Portland Trail Blazers' new head coach Micah Nori already faces a dilemma regarding who the opening night starters should be. After the blockbuster trade for Ja Morant, Portland has six players with strong cases to start: Morant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan.
Nori has already confirmed to Lillard that if he's healthy enough to walk, he'll start. That essentially makes three locks in the starting lineup between him, defensive anchor Donovan Clingan, and All-Star Deni Avdija.
Now, barring another trade, Nori is down to two spots to fill between Morant, Holiday, and Camara.
Following the surprising trade for Morant, it's been speculated that Portland will start the undersized, offensive-minded star backcourt of Morant alongside Lillard. But are we sure that's the right decision?
Damian Lillard and Ja Morant shouldn't start together
I like the idea of using Lillard in more of an off-ball role this upcoming season, taking the playmaking burden off of a 35-year-old coming off a brutal Achilles injury. However, Portland already established a primary offensive initiator this past season in Avdija, a formula that worked quite well, for that matter. By starting Morant, Portland would be taking the ball out of Avdija's hands, negating the matchup advantage he has as a point forward.
The ideal formula for Portland was similar to the one Luka Doncic had with the Dallas Mavericks during his run to the NBA Finals in 2024.
Avdija would take on Doncic's role as a jumbo point guard, initiating the offense. Lillard in the Kyrie Irving role as a secondary playmaker who is a dangerous three-point threat you can't help off of. Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III, in the aggregate, are the combination of an elite rim protector and lob threat like Doncic had at his disposal. And perhaps most importantly, Toumani Camara was the underrated P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr. role as a two-way wing to impact winning without the ball.
It's not a perfect comparison by any means, largely because Avdija isn't a borderline top five player in the world like Doncic. However, it was a formula that Portland should've leaned further into this offseason with Lillard's return and any external moves.
Why Ja Morant doesn't fit the Blazers starting unit
They may have taken a low-risk flyer on a distressed asset in Morant, but it's a step in the wrong direction in terms of roster fit. Although Morant remains a top five talent on Portland's roster, the lack of floor spacing and logjam at the guard position could make it in Portland's best interest to bring him off the bench.
The Blazers finally established a true identity in their rebuild on the defensive end with a plethora of versatile playmakers. A starting backcourt of Lillard and Morant largely defeats that purpose, and is eerily similar to the playoff shortcomings they had with Lillard and CJ McCollum.
The best way to optimize this messy roster is to either bench one of these star guards or, at the very least, stagger their roles. I understand the excitement of pairing the stars for a team that has desperately sought this level of star power throughout their entire rebuild. That said, I don't see Morant and Lillard playing effectively alongside each other for extended stretches.
Considering Nori has already all but guaranteed Lillard's starting role (and rightfully so, given their need for floor spacing), the odd man out should be Morant.
Whether Portland makes that difficult decision is another thing entirely, as they have to factor in egos, contracts, and other external factors. Still, I think Blazers media, The Oregonian's Bill Oram, in particular, that have painted Morant in a negative light will be pleasantly surprised with how much he embraces a team-first mentality this upcoming season.
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