The Portland Trail Blazers had their first practice of the 2026-27 season on Tuesday. Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the new-look roster is the crowded backcourt, particularly who first-year head coach Micah Nori will ultimately start.
After the shocking blockbuster trade for polarizing Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, reports suggested the Blazers expected to start both Morant and Damian Lillard in the backcourt. Lillard was asked about that at his first official practice Tuesday since returning from his torn Achilles.
Damian Lillard expects to start with Ja Morant
According to Jason Qucik of The Athletic, Lillard expects his starting backcourt to be him and Morant... as far as he knows.
Damian Lillard today said “as far as I know, Ja will start, I will start and Deni will start … that’s as far as I know.”
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) September 29, 2026
However, he added the lineup - and in particular his starting role - hasn’t been a topic of conversation between he and coach Micah Nori. Take that FWIW
I'm not necessarily convinced that even Nori knows what the starting unit will look like to open the regular season. Isn't that largely the point of practice and training camp, to sort these things out?
Micah Nori still has to sort out the Blazers' backcourt
The decision is harder given how the Blazers' roster is currently constructed. Their strength is their depth, with several players making a compelling case to start, even factoring in Shaedeon Sharpe's injury.
The weakness is the lack of ceiling that comes from a roster that isn't top-heavy enough. Deni Avdija isn't a genuine 1A piece on a contender, which was exposed in their playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The hope with Lillard's return from a torn Achilles and the buy-low trade for Morant is that this revamped backcourt will help provide Avdija with that missing star power. Nori has the luxury of joining this playoff roster that now adds Morant and Lillard into the backcourt, though it also admittedly adds another layer of complexity in terms of things that could potentially go wrong.
Even if the expectation was for Morant and Lillard to start alongside Avdija, that's not something Nori should commit to entering October. If anything, the complexity of this decision suggests it's something he'll have to continue experimenting with as the season progresses, especially when Sharpe comes back from injury.
At least Morant has recently expressed his willingness to come off the bench or embrace whatever role is asked of him this season, expressing his desire to win that takes precedence. Ultimately, it could be in the Blazers' best interest to bring Morant off the bench, due to his defensive limitations and floor spacing concerns. That doesn't necessarily mean the Blazers will bring Morant off the bench, especially considering he's their highest-paid player this season.
While it remians to be seen how that starting unit shakes out, Nori expressed excitement at Media Day about the options he has at his disposal, which are rare for a first-year head coach.
Morant took a similar stance, saying the Blazers are likely the only team in the league getting grilled about the fact that they have too many ballhandlers, somehow turning that into a bad thing. Regardless of who ultimately starts for Nori and the Blazers, Morant and the added ballhandling/playmaking he provides will be a welcome sight for a Blazers offense that was too stagnant last season.
The conversation regarding his fit in the starting unit and roster doesn't matter so much as the value he provides the Blazers, especially considering the cheap cost to acquire him via trade. This was a no-brainer decision for Portland to add Morant into the mix to elevate that ceiling.
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