The We Like the Blazers podcast crew is back after an offseason hiatus, and they’re thinking positive! On this week’s episode, hosts Conor Bergin and Brandon Mullen tackle everything they’re looking forward to ahead of the 2026-27 Portland Trail Blazers season.
The conversation, also featuring input from producer Terence Stilin-Rooney, gets into a lot: the anticipated return of franchise legend Damian Lillard and his pairing with All-Star forward Deni Avdija, the fascinating addition of Ja Morant,
the re-signing of big Robert Williams III, the potential of new head coach Micah Nori, and more!
As a teaser, here’s some of the discussion around Morant:
Brandon: As far as we see publicly, Ja Morant has something to prove. He’s taking it seriously. He understands what this means for his legacy and his career. And really, we should just be excited about the basketball, but to talk about Ja Morant the human being for a moment, just imagine the things he’s gone through, some of the mistakes that he’s made and just how public that stuff is. … Ja Morant the human being, I think, understands that for maximizing his generational wealth, taking care of his family and people he cares about, that he needs to stick this landing.
Conor: Everybody loves a comeback story. We’re already talking about Dame coming back from [a torn] Achilles, and that’s an exciting storyline to watch. His backcourt mate is another fascinating comeback story. … On top of that, you get one of the biggest celebrities in the league coming to Portland, a city that doesn’t get a ton of stars. When the trade went down, all my friends were pumped. They didn’t care about fit. They were like, ‘I’m gonna go buy a Ja jersey. This is so sick that we get Ja Morant, that we get to watch him.’ Even if he’s not as explosive of an athlete as he was, maybe some of the injuries have stunted that a little, he’s still a gifted playmaker. This team needs playmaking. It’s gonna be fascinating to see Micah Nori, Dame and Ja try to make this thing work. They’re already going to be probably one of the most interesting teams on League Pass, if you’re a Blazers fan or not, just with those two players.
The episode begins with a brief conversation about Portland’s expected signing of 6-foot-7 South Korean wing Hyun-jung Lee to an Exhibit 10 contract. Then it gets into the positivity-focused portion at the 6:02 mark.
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