The only tangible, rotation-changing addition the Portland Trail Blazers front office made this summer was adding Ja Morant. For the price of Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, General Manager Joe Cronin secured the services of the former second overall pick and All-NBA honoree.
But let’s be clear, this version of Morant isn’t close to the player that won Most Improved Player and finished seventh in MVP voting in 2021-22. The 27-year-old is also miles away from his second and most recent All-Star appearance
in 2022-23. The past three years have been a disappointment on and off the court.
From someone considered a future face of the NBA, Morant ended up being traded for one rotation player, another on the fringes and absolutely no draft capital. He’s working to revive his career but does so while competing alongside a plethora of guards who all need playing time.
Between 2021 and 2023, Morant was a force. While never really thriving as a three-point shooter, he averaged close to 28 points and 8 assists on decent efficiency from the field. His ability to get to the rim was unparalleled with a leap akin to a bird taking flight. At 6’2 with a tiny frame, he was never going to be a good defender, but he was opportunistic and athletic enough when it comes to steals, nabbing more than one a game.
Unfortunately, a range of injuries, intertwined with a spate of off-court incidents, resulted in Morant’s star losing its luster, to the point where the point guard played only 79 of a possible 246 games over three years. In his 20 games last season, Morant averaged 19.5 points on 23.5 percent from three, 41.0 percent from the field, 3.3 boards, 8.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.5 minutes.
Aside from the three-point shooting, those numbers aren’t terrible. But they’re far from the superstar we once saw. With all that now behind him, how does Morant fit with this Blazers roster and what can we expect this coming season?
Place in the Rotation
As mentioned, Morant will be part of a busy backcourt, complete with returned franchise favorite Damian Lillard, a contract-year Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, and Shaedon Sharpe once he’s convalesced later in the campaign. Holiday isn’t really a sticking point given his positional flexibility but it’ll be interesting to see how coach Micah Nori deploys Morant with Lillard and Henderson in the frame.
In an ideal world, Morant comes off the bench, allowing Lillard and Holiday to start. But we don’t live in an ideal world and this won’t happen. It appears the plan, at this early stage, is to start Lillard and Morant. While this proposition fills me with no confidence, I’m trying to find understanding. My main consolation, if you want to call it that, is that regardless of who starts, Morant is still going to play close to 30 minutes a night, if he’s healthy.
As such, he will have to spend time alongside Lillard and Henderson. I just hope all three are not seen together for any extended period. This prospect brings back the night terror that was Lillard, CJ McCollum and Norman Powell. I never want to see that again.
When Morant does spend time on the court with one of Lillard and Henderson, I want three other defensively competent players alongside them. I’m talking Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Sidy Cissoko, Donovan Clingan, and Robert Williams III. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on these names to ensure this team isn’t a laughingstock on defense.
One thing is abundantly clear, given his $42 million pay packet for this season, the Blazers are going to need Morant to be a positive force for this franchise.
Ideal Output
No one should be expecting Morant’s All-NBA numbers. He’s probably averaging more than the 20 points he registered last season. But I have a few expectations.
In theory, Morant might be the best passer on this team. While Avdija, Lillard, Henderson and Holiday will be given opportunities to run the offense, Morant should collect close to 6 assists a game. This would be a career-worst number but we’re comparing it to his time as the main playmaker with the Memphis Grizzlies. His ability to get into the paint and kick out should result in easy buckets for teammates, regardless of who’s on the court.
Nobody is expecting point-of-attack defense from Morant but this team needs defensive playmakers . With his athleticism, the Blazers should expect him to continue to average at least one steal a game. Watching Morant on a fast break off the back of a steal should still be one of the more exciting parts of the modern game.
This team needs shooting in any way, shape or form. Morant won’t be averaging anywhere near 40 percent but anything less than 33 percent from beyond the arc, on at least four attempts a game, would be disappointing. He’s twice bettered this throughout his career but we can’t expect miracles after last season’s 23.5 percent.
Finally, Morant’s ability to draw fouls is famed. Even if the athleticism has fallen off, he should be averaging seven free throw attempts a game. Not quite his peak 8.1 but an amount that will allow the Blazers to take advantage of last year’s career-best 89.7 percent free throw percentage, if it remains.
Conclusion
It’s going to be messy with Morant, Lillard, and Henderson on the roster but coach Micah Nori needs to find a way to ensure this franchise is competitive. If Morant puts his head down, is a good teammate, and hits the above markers, it will go a long way towards him reviving his reputation.
From there, the Blazers can decide whether he serves as the franchise’s long-term answer at point guard, once Lillard ages out. Or he might be moved for a return that hopefully dwarfs the package the Blazers relinquished to secure his services this offseason.
If he fails to turn things around, the gamble will have been a loser, but with only two years left on his deal and the meager assets given up to get him, the consequences won’t be devastating.
What, exactly, do you expect of Ja Morant this season? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
