The Portland Trail Blazers' trade for Ja Morant may have created a backcourt logjam, but at least they finally have enough ball handlers and playmakers to address their turnover problems.
Portland finished dead last in turnovers, averaging 17.3 per game. With a healthier backcourt, Damian Lillard's return, and Morant's arrival, this team should do a much better job of taking care of the ball next season.
Perhaps another underrated addition to help in that department is the hiring of head coach Micah Nori, who made turnovers a point of emphasis at his introductory press conference.
"There are some things we can clean up. We're not going to lead the league in turnovers," Nori said. "We are going to be very good at what we are, what we define as being important, what we pay attention to, and the execution of those things."
Turnovers weren't only an area Nori highlighted, but also one that he already has a plan of attack for. Portland's offense was entirely too stagnant last season. They were pretty predictable in their offensive sets, which is something Victor Wembanyama even alluded to after Portland's first-round exit to the San Antonio Spurs. From Nori's perspective, these problems can be addressed through movement and floor spacing.
"Offensively, the easiest way to think of it is: when the clock is moving, we're moving… We will do that with defined spacing. We'll get to the corners, create space for these guys, and it will be a lot more concepts where it's not just play calls where you're going from A to B. There will be reads, decision-making, and that will also help cut down the turnovers, which we led the league in, as I mentioned."
Ja Morant gives Portland another playmaker to help reduce turnovers
Having Morant in the picture will help alleviate some of the playmaking burden on Deni Avdija, who ranked second in the league in turnovers per game at 3.8, behind only Luka Doncic. Portland has lived with Avdija's growing pains as he continues to develop into more of a point forward. He could have a slight decline statistically next season, sharing more of the playmaking with a revamped backcourt, but with that could also come better efficiency and, most importantly, fewer turnovers.
Scoot Henderson is another player who could be negatively impacted by getting the ball less. However, he's surprisingly well equipped to play off-ball due to his development as a 3-and-D guard. Having Morant will also allow Damian Lillard to play more off-ball, easing the burden on a 35-year-old coming off such a brutal Achilles injury. That should allow him to focus more on a spot-up shooting role, which should hopefully make up for what Portland has lost in that department by bringing in Morant.
It's not a perfect fit by any means, but given the low cost to acquire the Grizzlies star, it's a worthwhile move.
Some view Portland's suddenly crowded backcourt as a problem that needs to be solved, but it's actually a solution to a problem that needed to be solved in their turnovers. This team's entire formula was predicated on winning the possession battle, whether through forcing turnovers or generating second chances with offensive rebounds. They weren't able to implement that as effectively, as they had to overcome turnover issues of their own.
There's so much talk about how Portland's shooting woes remain unresolved, and understandably so. But what has flown under the radar in the Blazers' surprising offseason moves is that GM Joe Cronin has found a way to clean up their turnovers, giving them a viable pathway to a winning formula by leaning into the strengths of a roster ready to win the possession battle.
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