Our second roundtable discussion question in the series of seven, centers on Portland’s biggest offseason acquisition, point guard Ja Morant. NBA players don’t come more polarizing than the explosive 6’2”, 174 pound Morant. With the ability to jump out of the gym and be an elite tablesetter for his teammates, Ja is one of the league’s most unique talents. Now that he’s in Portland, its been en vogue to cast doubt about his fit on this particular roster with 3 other point guards in need of playing
time.
Another cautionary factor with Morant is his health, due to the force in which he plays, soars through the air, and lands. The 8th year veteran has never played more that 67 games in a season, and he did that in his rookie year.
Ja Morant wants to play all 82 games, after playing in only 79 the past three seasons combined. How many games does he play this year, and will he have a positive or negative impact?
Kevin Lawler: Only 18 players in the entire NBA played in all 82 games last season. That’s not realistic for Ja Morant, but I’m hopeful that he can suit up 70+ times. I expect Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday to rest strategically over the course of the season and Morant to happily assume a bigger role when that happens. Morant has talked about doing whatever the team needs, including spotting up for catch-and-shoot threes. That’s a nice sentiment, but there is very little evidence to suggest that Morant the spot-up shooter will be useful. Over his past four seasons combined, he has made just 29.7% of his 5.2 three-point attempts per game. Not all of that can be chalked up to injuries. Even in his best shooting season (2021-2022), he was only knocking down 34.4% from long range. If he plays to his strengths and looks to drive more than shoot threes, he’ll have a positive impact and a chance to revive his career.
Paul Navarre: I’ll go bold and say 65 games, which would be his healthiest season in years. With the Blazers likely in the post-season conversation he’ll have incentive to stay on the court, but there is more than enough cover for him to limit his minutes or take the odd day off if he gets a bit banged up. Not needing to shoulder the whole load should do him a lot of good. A rested and healthy Ja is a clear positive for the team.
Adrian Bernecich: Short of knowing the exact health of his body, I’d hope the reduced ballhandling responsibilities make it easier on the joints and muscles. But to expect 82 games right out of the gate is fantasy right now. If he can play 70-plus, the Blazers should be happy.
Max Contract: I want to be optimistic, so I’m guessing close to Paul and saying 62. All it takes is for one highlight reel dunk over Wemby and landing wrong to put him in the infirmary. Hopefully, Portland helps alters his style a bit to do less leaping, and more getting into the paint to dish to teammates. The athleticism and know-how to get wherever he wants on the floor are great abilities he possesses. Everyone should love playing with a point guard who loves to pass/set up his teammates and is great at it, while they work on getting to their spots to ready themselves for his attacks to the basket. When it comes to three-point shooting, I’m gonna say he’s going to flirt with setting a career high percentage. His best season was 34.4% beyond the arc. That’s still well below average, but working with Dame is going to help him in that department. He’s going to have an up and down year while adjusting to not being the main focal point on a team, for perhaps the first time ever. He’s going to try to fit in versus it being “his” team. Ja is going to put in a solid campaign, and help this team get into the top 6 of the playoff bracket.
Josh Fisher: My over/under is 60 games. He has such a bad history of durability. To be eligible for postseason awards, you have to play at least 65 games and Ja Morant has had one such season: his rookie year in 2019-20 when he played 67. I think we’ll get a good version of Ja who ends up neutral on the court overall and positive in the minutes he plays without Dame.
How about it Blazers Edge? How many games do you see Ja Morant playing, and will he be a positive or negative contributor to the end results?
