The Portland Trail Blazers may have had a first-round playoff exit, but a primary reason this past season was an overall success was the star ascension of Deni Avdija.
His development perfectly aligned with a Blazers roster that not only prioritized him but also dealt with unfortunate injuries, with the silver lining being that Avdija took on more of a point-forward role to initiate the offense.
That had its downsides, such as Avdija's turnover issues, which contributed to the Blazers leading the league in turnovers per game by a wide margin. But seeing as this was a transitional season for Portland regardless, it was wise to live with those growing pains to see the best version of Avdija.
Maybe we'll see fewer turnovers and more efficient basketball next season, but the Blazers aren't doing a great job of optimizing Avdija now that they have such a logjam at their guard positions.
Blazers failed to surround Deni Avdija with complementary pieces
Ja Morant is at his best with the ball in his hands and can't effectively space the floor for Deni, who led the league in drives per game last season. They did need more backcourt help and a secondary playmaker to take some of the burden off Avdija, but this move seems like it's taking away from him more than it's supporting him.
The Blazers do have several star names now between Morant, Avdija, Damian Lillard, and Jrue Holiday. But Micah Nori's first season as a head coach presents a challenge to manage these egos.
Morant and others do seem willing to buy into whatever role is required of them, which Nori recently alluded to on SiriusXM Radio. But it does seem like this roster construction will make it difficult to establish an offensive hierarchy, something Avdija didn't have to deal with last season when he was the go-to guy.
Portland's playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs confirmed that Avdija can't be the 1a option on a contending roster, so eventually this dilemma was coming one way or another. But now, the concern is these players Portland is bringing into the backcourt still aren't better than Avdija. That not only confuses the offensive hierarchy but also limits their ceiling.
While the Blazers' trade for Morant was great value to take a chance on a former All-Star without surrendering any picks, we still wish they would've made a more aggressive move to land a star that is ahead of Avdija in the pecking order. It makes for an awkward season in which we have all these star names yet have no realistic chance at a deep playoff run.
Hopefully, Nori can use his creativity to find a way to build on Avdija's All-Star season despite the diminished floor spacing and an increased number of ball handlers and playmakers. If utilized correctly, that's not necessarily a bad thing for a Blazers team that led the league in turnovers.
But the concern is Avdija emerged as a face of the rebuild last season, and this offseason should've been used to surround him with ideal complementary pieces -- something Portland has failed to achieve up until this point.
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