The Trail Blazers will have a lot of wrinkles in their rotation to iron out in the 2026-27 season. Of course, they’ll need to figure out how to balance the crowded backcourt of Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson.
That conundrum has gotten a lot of coverage, but the other puzzle Portland has to solve is on the wing. Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara are all but cemented as starters, but It’s unclear who will play the bulk of the backup minutes at the three and the four.
The key variable here is Jeremy Sochan, who recently joined the team for training camp. Whether or not he makes the final roster will certainly have an effect on the rotation, making his stock one to watch during preseason.
Here’s how the Blazers’ depth chart could shape up based on whether Sochan earns a spot or not:
Who plays if Jeremy Sochan makes the team?
Currently, the contenders in this upcoming battle for minutes are Shaedon Sharpe, Vit Krejci, Sidy Cissoko, and Jeremy Sochan, with John Tonje lurking as a deep sleeper.
Sharpe will surely claim a lion’s share of the available playing time here. Assuming two of Lillard, Morant, Holiday, and Henderson will occupy the backcourt for most of the 48 minutes each night, Sharpe, who is primarily a shooting guard, will be forced to slide to the three.
That leaves the backup power forward slot up for grabs. Now, if the Blazers extend Jeremy Sochan a regular season contract, that’ll represent a vote of confidence from the staff in the former ninth overall pick. With that in mind, Sochan would likely snag those available four minutes if he sticks around, at least to start the year.
Because Sochan isn’t much of a shooter, he might not gel super well with Portland’s other sketchier spacers, like Robert Williams, Ja Morant, and Toumani Camara (although Camara may very well make another leap from beyond the arc). That would limit the lineups he could be a part of, and could also make him unplayable against certain matchups.
In the event Sochan’s jumper became a detriment, Vit Krejci (or, again, potentially John Tonje) would be next in line to step up and get some burn. The gap between Sochan and Krejci as individual players is marginal (in fact, Krejci may just flat-out be better), so Portland could feel comfortable oscillating between the two depending on the situation.
Who plays if Sochan gets cut?
The obvious answer here is Sidy Cissoko. The 22-year-old is coming off a breakout campaign and will be hungry to continue his ascension. If Sochan doesn’t wow in camp, the Blazers could waive him and sleep peacefully knowing they still have Cissoko.
The two are similar players— almost too similar, because they wouldn’t fit well alongside each other. That’s why Cissoko’s involvement hinges on Sochan’s fate.
Like Sochan, Cissoko can be a liability from three, so if he becomes the backup PF, he too may end up sharing the role with Krejci.
Ultimately, we’re only talking about 15 or so minutes per game here, realistically. But every player matters in the NBA, and it’ll be up to the Blazers to decide if Sochan or someone else will make the biggest impact off the pine next season.
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