The Trail Blazers' surprising trade for Ja Morant raised more questions than answers in Portland. Was this a precursor to a Jrue Holiday deal? And if not, how would new head coach Micah Nori find a way to navigate this sudden guard logjam?
Following the trade, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that the Blazers plan on starting Morant alongside Damian Lillard. We pushed back on that idea, primarily due to the defensive limitations stemming from such an undersized backcourt.
Could Micah Nori bring Ja Morant off the bench?
Fortunately, it sounds like Nori is at least open to bringing Morant off the bench, having recently mentioned the possibility on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
"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."
If Nori does make the difficult decision to bring his polarizing star guard off the bench, Portland could have a starting unit of: Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, and Donovan Clingan.
Benching Ja Morant gives the Blazers a better balance
That's a much better balance. It would be closer to last season's playoff team with the much-needed addition of Lillard's elite floor spacing. Morant wouldn't be shrinking the floor or taking the ball out of Avdija's hands as much, who was at his best last season in a point-forward role. Lillard would still be able to play off-ball as he recovers from his Achilles tear, taking on more of a secondary playmaking role.
Most importantly, Portland would provide Lillard with the defensive infrastructure that he lacked during his first stint here. Clingan is already in the conversation as a top five rim protector in Year 3, while Holiday and Camara are one of the most versatile perimeter defense pairings in the league.
It's a long season, and Nori will have to experiment with multiple starting lineup combinations before he decides on what's best to go to battle with come playoff time. Still, it's reassuring that it sounds not only like Nori is willing to make this switch if needed, but also that Morant is willing to embrace whatever role is required of him.
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