One of the main takeaways from Trail Blazers Media Day on Monday is that Portland views its crowded backcourt as a luxury, not a problem to be solved.
From the perspective of first-year head coach Micah Nori, this guard rotation gives them several playmakers and ball handlers. Most importantly, they should be able to make it work as they're all "decision-makers" with high basketball IQ and an unselfish desire to win.
That also aligns with what Ja Morant emphasized when asked about how he'd fit into this crowded backcourt and whether he viewed it as a problem.
"Not at all," Morant said. "Like I said earlier, I feel like everybody's very unselfish. And I feel like we're the only team right now who are probably getting questioned about this. But there's a lot of other teams wishing they had this many ball-handlers, so."
Why the Blazers' backcourt logjam is a good problem to have
Just last season the Blazers led the league in turnovers per game by a wide margin and were criticized for not having enough ball-handling and playmaking.
Sure, general manager Joe Cronin may have overaddressed that issue to the other extreme, but is that really such a bad thing?
Consider the direction the league is trending with teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder. The offense is rightfully run through superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but it's another guard-heavy roster that features multiple ball-handlers on the court at once.
Portland hopes to find similar success, letting Deni Avdija keep growing in that new point-forward role while finally surrounding him with the secondary playmakers he lacked last season.
That flaw in the Blazers' offense was (predictably) exposed in their first-round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Avdija, dealing with a lingering back injury and the attention of a stout, well-coached San Antonio defense, needed a co-star to ease the burden.
It remains to be seen whether Damian Lillard or Ja Morant emerges as that true co-star for Avdija. Legitimate questions remain about Lillard's return to form after a torn Achilles at 36. Also, how Morant fits into this young core as someone who doesn't necessarily have the two-way tools to play off-ball effectively.
The Blazers' up-and-coming pieces, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, have even more question marks surrounding their fit and future. Henderson is yet to be extended, and Sharpe is out for roughly six months with another injury.
That further validates Portland's move to bring in Morant this offseason for cheap, giving them another at-bat to solve their long-term guard problem, if you will.
Media Day highlighted why this ball-handling and playmaking issue should be considered a strength rather than a weakness. With the injury to Sharpe and the positional versatility of Jrue Holiday, it's hard to consider this anything other than an upgrade from last season.
This Blazers' roster has its flaws heading into the season, but I don't know if we're worried about the right things. This backcourt has the unselfishness, experience, and basketball IQ to figure things out and turn this into a strength for Portland, particularly on the offensive end.
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