The Portland Trail Blazers are set to take on the Sacramento Kings in their second preseason game. Blazers beat reporter Casey Holdahl announced that Chauncey Billups has decided to start Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan. That leaves veteran Jerami Grant as the odd man out -- a decision that Grant could be surprised by, based on what he said at media day.
Grant was asked about the possibility of him coming off the bench this season, and told the media that he doesn't expect that to happen. Well, Portland is just two games into the preseason, and Grant is already benched.
Chauncey Billups finally benches Jerami Grant
Billups benched Avdija in the last game, warning everyone that he was going to experiment with different starting lineups each preseason game. Avdija may have been benched, but no Blazers fan really expects that to be the case when Portland actually plays meaningful regular-season games. After all, Avdija was arguably their best player last season.
Someone who underperformed last season, despite being paid like one of their best players, was Grant. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 37/37/85 shooting splits -- not exactly starting lineup material.
Some anticipated a positive regression for Grant this season, but he hasn't shown any indication of that being the case after Portland's first preseason game. In a nail-biting loss to the Golden State Warriors, Grant recorded just eight points, five rebounds, one assist, and three steals on 2-of-11 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 shooting from three-point land. Outside of rookie Yang Hansen, who fouled out after four points, four rebounds, and four turnovers in his debut, Grant was Portland's worst performer.
Given Billups' comments, it wouldn't be surprising if Grant winds up starting in Portland's remaining preseason games against the Warriors (October 14) and Utah Jazz (October 16). Still, this game against Sacramento will give him the clarity he's been searching for this summer regarding the Blazers' best starting unit.
With Scoot Henderson sidelined for four to eight weeks with a left hamstring tear, the Blazers have six potential starters. With the way Shaedon Sharpe has been playing throughout training camp and in his first preseason game after a game-high 22 points, Portland's ideal starting unit to begin the season is starting to come into focus.
Billups should reevaluate things when Scoot comes back into the mix. But until then, it's in their best interest to bench Grant. He came to that conclusion in this game, and let's hope that it sticks this season -- no matter how blindsided Grant may be by that decision.