The Phoenix Suns may be benefiting from their opening night’s opponents’ roster construction.
When the Portland Trail Blazers, who the Suns play on opening night, signed Damian Lillard in the 2025 offseason, they knew that, barring injuries, they were set for a guard controversy. Rostering NBA champion and defensive guard Jrue Holiday, 2023 third overall pick Scoot Henderson, young scorer Shaedon Sharpe, and Lillard, Portland set themselves up to have a starting guard controversy once the 2026-2027
season rolled around and Lillard recovered from his torn Achilles. Then they traded for Ja Morant this summer, who, despite his recent decline and injury concerns, is another mouth that needs to be fed on offense.
Portland’s starting backcourt for opening night is still in question, according to Portland’s head coach, Micah Nori, so which of Portland’s guards are the Phoenix Suns most likely to face in their starting lineup?
Let’s take a look at the five and see who the two most likely are.
The Unlikely
Shaedon Sharpe
Off the bat we can eliminate Sharpe, who is expected to be out until at least late February with a torn meniscus. While unfortunate injury news, this comes as a defensive relief for the Suns, who saw Sharpe average 24 points per game on 48% shooting from the field against them last year.
Scoot Henderson
Henderson finished the 2025-2026 campaign strongly, with multiple 20+ point playoff games against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the Western Conference Finals, including a dominant 31-point outing in Game 2 that saw him hit five threes.
Being sidelined for most of last season due to a hamstring injury, he played in just 30 games last regular season and started in just a third of them, with nearly all of them coming after Sharpe suffered an injury that kept him out of the starting lineup for the rest of the season, with Henderson taking his place.
Eligible for his first contract extension, Henderson and the Blazers have not come to an agreement, a potential sign they want to see him prove himself after an injury-ridden season. Considering the veteran presence on the roster, expect when opening night comes around to see Henderson in a reserve role.
The Favorites
Jrue Holiday
The team’s most consistent point guard last season, after a few down offensive years in Boston taking a back seat to Derrick White, Holiday showed that he can still play the point guard position at a high level, averaging 16 points and six assists per game on 38% shooting from three. Entering the 18th year of his career, he’s started in at least 90% of his team’s games since the 2015-2016 campaign and is known as one of the strongest and best defensive guards in the NBA, helping the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics win titles in 2021 and 2024, respectively.
Holiday didn’t start in the team’s preseason opener, and while he may not be the most dynamic or best scorer out of the five, he’s the best defender, has the most experience in the NBA, and knows what it takes to win at a high level. Suns fans know the type of defender Holiday is better than almost any fanbase…
Ja Morant
The newest member of the five, the Blazers bought low on Morant this offseason after multiple suspension and injury-riddled seasons since he was an All-Star in 2023. A dynamic scorer and passer, Morant has played more than 60 games over the past five seasons and averaged his lowest points per game since his rookie year, along with the worst shooting percentages from both the field and three, over 20 games last season.
While he said he’s open to coming off the bench, he started in the team’s first preseason game, playing just 19 minutes and scoring eight points.
Considering his recent rough seasons, three-point struggles, and defensive concerns with his thin frame, Morant is a true wildcard to start.
A Surprise if He Didn’t Start
Damian Lillard
After being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023 and fully recovered from his torn Achilles, Lillard is set to take back the starting role he once donned in Portland for 11 seasons. An All-Star in the three previous years before he sat out all of last year rehabbing, he’s arguably the greatest Blazer of all time, and the last time he was healthy, he averaged 25 points and seven assists per game.
Starting in the preseason opener, like Morant, Lillard is a defensive liability. However, he’s been one of the most productive and high-volume three-point shooters in league history, and considering his leadership, what he means to the organization, and the last time we saw him healthy, he was playing at a high level, at the very least, expect Lillard to be one of the starting guards opening night against the Suns. Most reports have come out signaling that he’s the most likely person to be in the starting lineup out of anyone else in contention.
Who do you want to see Portland suit up in the backcourt against Phoenix on opening night?
