The Portland Trail Blazers are 3-0 to start the season, playing their most exciting basketball in years, and the Ja Morant trade is a huge reason why.
Portland's new guard is averaging 16.3 points, 6.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. It may be a career low in points, but Morant is doing significantly more with less this season when it comes to minutes (26.7 per game) and efficiency (59/44/83 shooting splits).
Not too shabby for a player general manager Joe Cronin managed to land for Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, and somehow zero picks.
Joe Cronin's bold Ja Morant trade is paying off for the Blazers
Morant looks rejuvenated in Portland. He's benefiting not only from a general change of scenery but also from being surrounded by two of the most ideal veteran mentors in the league: Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday.
Cronin had the right infrastructure in place to immediately silence concerns about Morant's character issues negatively affecting the team chemistry and whatever else the media was saying after the trade. Those were blown out of proportion in the first place, but it also does help when Lillard and Holiday are in the same building.
That's played an underrated role in Morant's seamless transition and Portland's fast start to the season. There haven't been as many growing pains as expected in terms of sorting out this crowded backcourt, which is also a testament to how well Micah Nori is coaching.
Micah Nori has Blazers playing to Ja Morant's strengths
Nori has this team playing to Morant's strengths. They get out in transition, make quick decisions, and have versatility across the board when it comes to ball-handling, playmaking, and/or shooting. Even with Morant not quite at that top-tier athletic level he once was in Memphis, the elite and even underrated basketball IQ is fitting perfectly with Nori's vision.
Portland's shot profile has been elite, with shots largely coming either at the rim, charity stripe, or beyond the arc. In Tuesday's thrilling 136-129 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Blazers took just two midrange shots the entire night. They're spacing the floor, moving the ball, and getting in the paint.
That formula resulted in Morant's best game in quite some time, finishing with 23 points and 4 assists on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, good for an efficient 69.2 percent.
It may be a career low in points and field goal attempts for Morant, but it's also by far his most efficient season so far. That's the sign of a good team -- having skilled players like Morant who embrace a lessened role by becoming more efficient with the looks they do get. We've seen that be the case with Avdija this season as well.
This offensive system Nori has implemented has been great for maximizing Morant's talents. He's fitting far better than expected, and it's making this trade look even more lopsided for the Blazers. You can add this to the list of bold trades that Cronin ultimately won.
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