Deni Avdija taking on more of that point-forward role has been one silver lining to the Ja Morant injury, giving the Portland Trail Blazers a more clearly established offensive hierarchy. However, Friday's 124-118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers also showed why the Blazers brought in Morant as that secondary playmaker alongside Avdija.
Damian Lillard has been playing more off-ball at age 36; Scoot Henderson has struggled to step up in Morant's absence. Jrue Holiday continues to strengthen his Sixth Man of the Year case early on, but if Micah Nori is going to keep him on the bench, they need someone to fill that secondary playmaking void.
We saw it become a problem Friday as it placed too much of the offensive burden on Avdija. He finished with 22 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds, but also contributed 8 of Portland's 24 turnovers as a team.
The Blazers aren't going to win the star-power battle with Avdija up against Luka Doncic as the teams' best players, as shown by Doncic's 53-point outburst. The strength of Portland's roster and how they need to get their advantage lies in the 2-10 players. That's the only way they'll survive the playoffs in the Western Conference, because it's clear Avdija isn't on the level of Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
He's not that far off statistically with these near triple-double games in this point-forward role, but turnovers are the one thing truly preventing Avdija from being a primary playmaker on a contender.
Blazers still need Deni Avdija to clean up his turnovers
Credit the Blazers for envisioning this version of Avdija as more of a jumbo guard. They not only identified him as a trade target on the Washington Wizards, but also embraced the growing pains that come with that new role under Chauncey Billups and Tiago Splitter.
We're already seeing after the Blazers' 6-2 start that Nori is the right head coach as he's unlocking the next version of this offense, one that's producing at a high efficiency. But for the Blazers to take that next step as a contender, they need Avdija to take that next leap as a playmaker.
Portland's most discussed roster flaw is likely their lack of shooting. That hasn't been as much of an issue with Damian Lillard's return and internal improvement from players like Toumani Camara, who's shooting 47.5 percent from three to start the season. But another issue last year in this Avdija-led offense was turnovers, where the Blazers ranked dead last in the league.
Having all these ball-handlers and playmakers in the backcourt now has helped address that to an extent, as Friday's loss showed why this team added Morant to an already crowded backcourt. Still, Lillard and Morant have made it clear that this team still runs through Avdija. That's the right approach to get this team to its peak, as Portland has a matchup advantage with Avdija in that role as a jumbo guard. But Friday we saw the difference in execution between Doncic in that role for Los Angeles and Avdija still growing into his role in Portland.
Blazers must continue investing in Deni Avdija as a point forward
It's a worthwhile investment, as last year's All-Star campaign showed. But his eight against the Lakers were a season high, and it became a problem for the entire Blazers offense that now largely runs through him.
Avdija's now set to face the league's two best defenses with upcoming matchups against the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. With Morant still sidelined, Portland will have to rely on Avdija for the heavy lifting more than they'd probably like. If he can keep his turnovers down, though, this offense will be in much better shape to pull off an upset in this upcoming stretch.
Avdija's star ascension makes the Blazers a difficult out, especially under this new and improved offense under Nori. But Nori's formula largely works on winning the possession battle, and Avdija's turnovers have still been getting in the way.
At just 25, Avdija still has plenty of room to grow into this point-forward role in Portland. He's figuring out how to improve his quick decision-making without compromising the aggressiveness and physicality that make him such a difficult matchup advantage in this role. The Lakers loss showed he still has a way to go, but that also suggests an even higher ceiling than his All-Star campaign.
Avdija's role as a primary initiator in this offense only works if he can clean up those turnovers. But if he keeps improving there, Portland will have a rare matchup advantage with him running the offense.
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