The Portland Trail Blazers may have landed good value in their blockbuster trade for Ja Morant, but now comes the hard part: implementing him into the roster. New head coach Micah Nori is certainly going to have his work cut out for him, as this is by no means a clean fit.
Heading into the offseason, the idea was to add complementary pieces for All-Star Deni Avdija. Where does Morant fit into that equation, and more specifically, is he going to be the one initiating most of the offense in Portland?
Blazers have to reestablish an offensive hierarchy this season
Avdija deserves credit for his star ascension, but so do the Blazers for putting him in a position to succeed. They embraced his growing pains (turnovers) in a point forward role, and created one of the most terrifying matchup nightmares in the process.
Having another playmaker in Morant should help Portland in the turnover department. Still, it's a delicate balance as they need to figure out how to complement Avdija's game rather than taking the ball out of his hands. From that standpoint, the cleaner backcourt fit is Damian Lillard, given his elite floor spacing ability.
Avdija led the entire league in drives per game last season at 19.4, and throwing Morant -- another aggressive downhill player -- into the mix threatens to offbalance the working formula Portland had established.
On the other hand, the Blazers' first-round playoff exit showed that they may not have a high enough ceiling with Avdija as their go-to option. They needed to add some form of star talent. And to their credit, they achieved that for cheap by landing Morant without having to sacrifice any future draft capital. But it remains to be seen whether that's the right type of star power.
Blazers could be better off benching Ja Morant
It's a messy 1a 1b situation in the offense hierarchy. Morant isn't good enough to be the go-to option on a contender, either. Portland would be better off putting their eggs in the Avdija basket in hopes he continues his rapid ascent. But if that's the case, where does it leave Morant?
After the Blazers acquired him, it was suggested that they plan to start Lillard and Morant together in the backcourt, presumably benching one of Toumani Camara or Jrue Holiday in that scenario. That solves the star power problem in the starting unit but risks bringing up a whole new wave of problems that didn't exist last season.
For a team that doubled down on its defensive identity, the thought of a Lillard-Morant backcourt pairing is borderline laughable.
Nori has to at least consider the possibility of benching Morant, starting both Camara and Holiday instead. He's even alluded to that possibility, saying that he holds people to their word and Morant has previously said he's open to the idea.
Not because he's not one of the five most talented players on this roster. But because it's hard to envision a strong defense and a fluid offense with him in that starting five.
It's not a decision Nori needs to decide on now, or even make permanent. This could be a very fluid situation as Nori, Morant, and others familiarize themselves with the Blazers' roster as the season progresses.
But for a team that prides itself on the defensive end and wants to build around Avdija, it's fair to wonder where Morant fits into this vision, if at all.
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