The Portland Trail Blazers are about to embark on their 50th anniversary season of when they won their sole NBA Championship. Tomorrow, the core members from the basketball side of the franchise will be speaking to the media before opening up training camp on Tuesday. It got me thinking, what if the NBA had a preseason reality show similar to the NFL? If such a show existed, this season’s Blazers would be the league’s ideal team to feature.
If you’re not familiar with HBO’s Hard Knocks, it is a reality
based, cable TV series that showcases a chosen NFL team’s training camp. It covers the behind-the-scenes look at the entire preseason of camp, practices, and games. This past August the show featured the reigning Super Bowl Champion, Seattle Seahawks. Overall, it’s a slick production created by the legendary NFL Films.
The series follows a few regular storylines over 5 episodes. They usually feature one or two fringe players trying to make the final 53-man roster. We see their ups and downs in training camp and off the field, and how they perform in the preseason games. If/when they make the team or get cut, you’ve taken a vicarious ride through their journey. Coaches and the front office always have a prominent place throughout the show. It’s cool to see the inner workings of all the interactions from the film room to the field. The producers also pick one of the better known players on the team and peek into their personal life, as well as, how they interact with their coaches and teammates. It’s a fun show that gives you access to something usually shrouded in secret.
What if Adam Silver tasked his filmmaking division (NBA Entertainment) to develop a comparable show? Let’s call it “Hitting the Hardwood.” The fictional show featuring the current Portland Trail Blazers going into training camp would be a ratings slam dunk! Let’s look at how many story options producers could choose from.
BLAZERS FUTURE IN PORTLAND
While these shows focus on the sports side of the business, it would be hard to ignore what has transpired since new owner Tom Dundon and his Rip City Rising management group took control of the franchise at the end of March. Portland is currently the only NBA city staring at an uncertain future. With the league demanding either a new arena or a major update to the existing Moda Center/Rose Quarter, Dundon is currently wrestling with the city, county, and state over awarding him $600 million in public funds to complete the project. With both sides imposing an end of 2026 deadline to reach an agreement, ignoring this elephant in the room would be doing the show a disservice. Dundon’s decision to allow or decline access for recording him and/or his management team, in any capacity on this issue would be interesting. On one hand, it would be free publicity for his biggest asset and a way to grow the brand. It would also give him an opportunity to provide the public with some of his vision for the team in Portland, and perhaps some candid footage of his management style. On the other hand, there is his penchant for working in the shadows with an iron fist frugality — woven in a laissez faire attitude towards what the media or anyone thinks of him. It wouldn’t be surprising if he turned them down from personal access.
A LEGEND RETURNS HOME
It goes without saying, the top on court story surrounding the Blazers is the return of Damian Lillard. Not only is the excitement there from the surreal nature of bringing Dame Time back to Portland, the world hasn’t seen him play basketball in 18 months. Tracking Dame’s play through the preseason and practices, would give everyone a front row seat to how he’s handling his comeback from a torn Achilles tendon. He also has a lot of great offseason workout content, where his shooting proficiency garnered social media buzz. Dame’s one of the best athletes in terms of media engagement, so he’d be a natural hit for the show.
REDEMPTION FOR JA MORANT?
The Blazers’ big offseason acquisition comes with more question marks than the Riddler in 1960’s Batman. Four seasons removed from being in the MVP conversation, Ja Morant remains one of the NBA’s biggest enigmas. When he’s engaged and healthy, he still has the juice to be one of the league’s most exciting players. However, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen him sustain it. From off court problems leading to 33 games missed due to suspension, to a bevy of injuries forcing him to miss another 140 games, Morant has spent almost 3 of his 7 seasons in street clothes. Yet with all of the warts that he comes with, there is a player who can capture the imagination of fans with athletic, playmaking feats never before seen from a player standing 6’2” and 174 lbs. After losing relevance the past three years, Morant still has a cult following and has one of Nike’s best selling basketball shoes. With two years left on his contract that pays him over $87M, and still in his prime at 27, Morant has the opportunity to revive his career on a team with playoff aspirations. Chronicling his training camp while adjusting to new teammates, coaches, and a city would make his story compelling. People around the league are curious if Ja can rediscover what made him a special superstar.
YANG IN AMERICA!
The human interest story for this show could give us great insight into Yang Hansen’s whirlwind acclimation to the NBA, the USA, and what his fame means to his native China. Yang has been determined to learn English well enough that he can stop using a translator. We’ll find out soon how much progress he’s made on that goal. His journey as a young Chinese giant trying to make it in America in an elite profession, is worthy of a show all on its on. Who doesn’t want to see a segment of a mic’d up Damian Lillard and Yang trading slang in Chinese as code words for their pick n’ roll actions? The young center still has a long way to go before becoming a dependable NBA player, but his work ethic and seemingly good natured personality make rooting for his success an easy choice. Between the amount of international fans following Yang and star forward Deni Avdija, the Blazers would give this show’s success a tremendous boost outside of the U.S.
WHAT’S THE STORY WITH NORI?
After sitting on an NBA bench as an assistant for the past 18 years, Blazers head coach Micah Nori will make his maiden voyage as the captain of the ship in Portland. Nori comes to Rip City already a great soundbite with the media. Listening to him lead practices, preseason games, and team meetings would be excellent insight into a man thrust into a high pressure job. Not only is he expected to create an instant winner in Portland, but he’s doing it on a one-year guaranteed contract. After signing a first of its kind contract in the NBA’s modern era, Nori is under immense scrutiny to deliver. Can he mold a team that is integrating two new high usage, ball dominant guards with a penchant for bad defense into a winner? He has a lot of good talent to work with, but making the pieces fit cohesively will be a challenge for even the most seasoned head coach. Watching Nori’s plan play out in the preseason with all that’s a stake for him would be great television.
THE FRINGE GUYS
Two players come to mind for having a ‘Hard Knocks’ type of focus, forwards Jeremy Sochan and Hyunjung Lee. Sochan was the 9th overall player drafted in the 2022 draft, two spots after Portland’s high flying, yet oft-injured Shaedon Sharpe. After spending the first three and half seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Sochan ended up on the New York Knicks and finished last season winning the NBA championship with them. After becoming a free agent, he didn’t end up generating a lot of interest over the summer, but he’s a defensive savant. Portland gave him a one year, non-guaranteed contract, so while it’s likely he makes the final 15-man roster, he’ll be fighting for his NBA life in this upcoming training camp.
Lee is an interesting story as a 6’7” sharpshooter, who played collegiately at Davidson and has since bounced around the international professional circuit. He won a NBL championship in Australia with the Illwara Hawks. He also spent time playing in the G League with the Golden State Warriors, and also a stint in Japan. This summer he laced them up for the San Antonio Spurs summer league squad, before getting an Exhibit 10 contract to join Portland’s training camp. He’s trying to become the first South Korean to play in an NBA regular season game since Ha Seung Jin in 2006. Ironically, Jin was also a Trail Blazer. If Lee is waived, there’s interest for him to join Portland’s G League Rip City Remix.
CONCLUSION
The NBA would be wise to up their non-game content productions. NFL Films is the gold standard, and an integral part of what enhances the popularity of America’s favorite professional sport with great storytelling. If we could get a NBA equivalent, what storylines would you want to see on an in depth Portland Trail Blazers preseason tv show?
