The strength of the Portland Trail Blazers' roster lies in their depth, particularly in the backcourt. Not only is Damian Lillard back, but this team is somehow also surprisingly bringing in Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
The downside of that is Portland will inevitably have a starting-caliber player buying into a sixth man role. To an extent, we saw that last season with Jerami Grant, who embraced his role well. But now this revamped Blazers roster has even more talent, meaning someone previously viewed as a star will have to take on a bench role for a team that is still projected to be nothing more than a first or second round playoff exit.
Ultimately, we think it would be in the Blazers' best interest for new head coach Micah Nori to bench Morant. While he's one of the top five talents on this roster, it's such a bad fit to the point where he shouldn't be included in the starting unit.
Ja Morant would embrace a sixth-man role for Portland
Fortunately, it sounds like Morant is buying into his role regardless of Nori's decision. Previously on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Nori said he wouldn't been afraid to bench Morant if it came to that because he stated he didn't care.
"Well, I don't know," Nori said. "I take people at their word. You can say it, and if it has to come to that, I'll say, 'Hey, you said you didn't care,' number one. But the second thing is, I really believe guys like Ja, Dame [Lillard], and Jrue [Holiday] that have been through it and been around want to win. Winning is the most important thing. If you can put yourself in a position to do that, whether it's coming off the bench or starting, as long as you get your minutes, I would never say it's easy."
It remains to be seen who Nori plans to start the 2026-27 season, and it could ultimately depend on how training camp shakes out. Regardless, this seems like a fluid situation that could change multiple times throughout the season. Whether Nori comes to this realization at the start of the season or has to endure growing pains, it will ultimately be in Portland's best interest to bring Morant off the bench.
If that is the case, the polarizing star guard could have a legitimate case to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award. We just saw San Antonio's Keldon Johnson win, and Morant is easily the better talent despite his decline.
Hopefully, he's able to return to a similar version of the two-time All-Star he was in Memphis. Morant has dealt with injuries, which is problematic for a player so dependent on his athleticism to get downhill. But one thing the Blazers won't have to worry about is his willingness to buy into whatever role is required of him throughout the season.
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