The Portland Trail Blazers are set to head into the 2026-27 season as a team largely full of point guards and centers.
They've moved on from Jerami Grant and Kris Murray in the Ja Morant trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. Then, two-way wing Matisse Thybulle departed via free agency, joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
Instead of filling the void with wings, Portland has since surprisingly stockpiled more bigs, bringing in Jeremy Sochan on a non-guaranteed deal to compete for a roster spot with Micah Potter.
To make matters worse, now their wing scorer off the bench, Shaedon Sharpe, is set to miss at least the next six months after suffering a torn meniscus during an offseason workout.
Vit Krejci will need to get out of last season's shooting slump to emerge as a key depth piece behind Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija.
However, it's also the responsibility of Frenchman Sidy Cissoko to help fill the void.
Sidy Cissoko could play a key role for Portland's bench
Portland lost a lot of its defensive identity in its moves this offseason, whether it was bringing in the undersized, offensive-minded Morant or more under-the-radar losses like Murray and Thybulle.
At least they retained their defensive anchor duo of Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III, reaching a three-year, $44 million deal to keep Time Lord in Portland. They'll certainly help deter shots at the rim, but those shots could come more frequently or more easily with Portland's lack of perimeter versatility.
They're currently projected to start Morant in the backcourt alongside Damian Lillard, putting two traffic cones out there that could still equate to some wins and, at the very least, entertaining basketball. But this is reminiscent of the same issue that haunted Lillard's first stint with the Blazers, as they weren't able to capitalize on the peak of his career.
As frustrating as players like Murray were on the offensive end at times for Portland, that's the type of role player required to win at the highest level. Cissoko has a similar quality in terms of his ability to impact winning without the ball, partly because of his defensive versatility on the wing that makes him such a scalable piece.
It's a lot to ask for Cissoko, who is still raw at just 22 years old. But he's already taken major strides since coming over to Portland, as evidenced by the two-way contract conversion into a standard one. Another leap could be on the horizon this season if he's able to improve on the offensive end, particularly as a three-point shooter.
Cissoko, like Krejci, is going to have every opportunity to become a key piece on the wing.
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