Blazers Face Starting Lineup Dilemma With Lillard and Morant — SkimNews
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- Damian Lillard said at Tuesday's training camp media availability that he expects to start alongside Deni Avdija and Ja Morant this season — a declaration that reportedly caught first-year coach Micah Nori off guard.
- Nori told The Athletic that Lillard and Morant starting together "would make little sense," and said he plans to test the pairing in the preseason before committing to a rotation.
- The article argues the Lillard-Morant backcourt would rank as the NBA's worst defensively, while Morant's poor shooting would further cramp the floor for All-Star Deni Avdija, Portland's only reliable ball-handler last season.
- Ja Morant has come off the bench only twice in his career — both times following injury at his peak — and has two years left on his max contract after being acquired by Portland this offseason.
- Nori conceded about a potential bench role: "On the outside, I think he would handle it great. On the inside … I don't know," while also noting Jrue Holiday's willingness to accept a reserve role shouldn't dictate the decision.
- The piece cites the Russell Westbrook precedent: Darvin Ham moved Westbrook to the bench after three straight losses with the 2022-23 Lakers, and Ty Lue did the same with the Clippers after five games, with the Clippers going 27-7 in their next 34.
Why it matters: Nori is a first-year head coach trying to balance the strategic needs of a guard-heavy roster against the locker room politics of asking a 27-year-old max-contract former All-Star to accept a reserve role on a team that paid $40 million to acquire him. With Morant's trade value and Nori's job security both tied to how this resolves, the preseason becomes a trial run for a decision that could define Portland's season — and Nori's tenure — before it even begins.
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