The Portland Trail Blazers have a wonky roster consisting largely of point guards and centers. That presents first-year head coach Micah Nori with a challenge to sort out what is a more talented but wonky roster compared to last season.
Fortunately, there appears to be a blueprint thanks to the success of another unconventional roster construction in San Antonio.
Blazers can learn from the Spurs' guard-heavy lineup
The Spurs wouldn't be defending Western Conference Champions if not for having a 7-foot-4 alien Victor Wembanyama on their roster. This Finals run was only a matter of time given his generational talent, though seeing it come to fruition made it hurt that much more since Portland missed on the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 by one final lottery ball combination.
Now, the Blazers are forced to play catch up in what remains a stacked Western Conference despite multiple stars heading to the East this summer. They added more talent to close that gap, somehow managing to come away with Ja Morant for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray without having to sacrifice any future assets.
Still, it was surprising that general manager Joe Cronin didn't feel the need to address their depleted group of wings. They also lost veteran two-way wing Matisse Thybulle in free agency, joining the rival Los Angeles Lakers.
Cronin mentioned that though the Blazers may be thin at forward, they're confident in the group they do have heading into the season. But what also got lost in the Morant trade criticism, and what has become increasingly apparent throughout preseason, is the impact Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III have had on maintaining this roster balance.
No team has Wembanyama, but the Blazers do arguably the best job of any at making up for that rim protection in the aggregate. Nori has already mentioned his excitement regarding what a luxury it is to have Clingan and Williams available to rotate for the entire game at the center spot if needed.
That will be even more essential than last season for Portland, given how this roster has transitioned from wings to guards. Again, that's where the Spurs come into play as an industry-leading example to follow.
Friday, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson revealed that they would be starting three guards -- De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper -- in their season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"The biggest thing is I've got handlers all around me; guys, we want to put the ball in their hands and pick and roll around me," Wembanyama said about the guard-heavy lineup.
Johnson also mentioned wanting to have the five best players on the court as a reason behind the decision, which aligns with the Blazers' thought process when they prioritized talent over fit by bringing in Morant.
It's impossible to perfectly emulate the Spurs, as Wembanyama is called the Alien for a reason -- he's a one-of-a-kind talent. Still, the Blazers are an up-and-coming team looking to join that tier of contenders in the West, and they can certainly learn a thing or two given the unique roster parallels.
They have the rim protection in place to make up for the guard-heavy lineup, similarly to San Antonio. That should be especially encouraging since the Spurs are considered one of the best defensive teams in the league. The obvious downside of bringing in Morant and pairing him in a backcourt that now also includes Damian Lillard is the weakened defensive identity. But considering the Blazers led the league in turnovers last season by a wide margin, it was a necessary sacrifice to make for added playmaking and ball-handling.
The Spurs have successfully proven you can surround multiple guards in a lineup as long as there's an elite defensive anchor to cover for their limitations. Portland will hopefully be the next team to follow in its path.
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