The Portland Trail Blazers significantly shook up their roster this summer when they traded for Ja Morant. It was one of the more surprising moves of the offseason, though there were some initial concerns regarding his potential fit with the roster, especially considering how many guards are on the roster.
Luckily for Morant and the Blazers, both of the team’s other top guard options should be ideal on-court fits with their new star. Damian Lillard’s three-point shooting will pair nicely with Morant’s driving. And Jrue Holiday’s defense should cover up for some of Morant’s struggles on that side of the ball.
Morant has struggled in recent years. He hasn’t been the best version of himself, whether it's because of suspensions or injury issues. But now with the Blazers, he has a real chance to get back to his former self.
Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday can counteract Ja Morant's weaknesses
It was quite an interesting move for the Blazers to make, trading for Morant. In a way, it feels like they just wanted to do something that would elevate the overall talent on the roster.
They just wanted to bring another talented basketball player onto the team, regardless of what the fit looked like. Trade for talent and figure out the rest later. That seems to be the philosophy.
At his best, Morant is one of the most impressive driving threats in the league, a solid playmaker, and a guy who can soak up pressure from opposing defenses.
And even though the Blazers do have a ton of guards on the roster, their two top guys outside of Morant project to pair pretty well with him when they share the court together.
Morant isn’t a great three-point shooter. He’s primarily a driving threat. So, pairing him with a guy like Lillard should help the Blazers maintain an adequate amount of three-point floor spacing when both are on the court together.
Morant also isn’t an amazing defender. He’s not bad on that end of the court, but he’s a bit small, so he’s relatively limited. That’s where Holiday can come into play. He’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
Having both of those guys ready to counteract some of Morant’s weaknesses should make for some solid Blazers lineups next season.
Portland will have plenty of talent next season. The trade for Morant added even more to an already-blossoming roster. And with Lillard and Holiday in place, some of Morant’s biggest limitations on the court won’t be quite as much of a constant issue.
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