Micah Nori hasn’t even coached a regular season game for the Trail Blazers yet, and he’s already got one of the weirdest roster puzzles in the NBA sitting on his desk.
Portland’s new head coach went on SiriusXM NBA Radio this week and didn’t shut the door on the idea of Ja Morant playing as a sixth man. The question sounds crazy on its face. A two-time All-Star coming off the bench? But Nori isn’t treating it like a joke.
“Well, I don’t know,” Nori said when asked about that specific scenario. “I take people at their word, so if it has to come to it, I can say hey you said you didn’t care.”
He was referencing comments Morant made earlier about being willing to take whatever role helps the team win. That sounds nice in July. Whether it holds up in January when the point guard rotation gets tight is another story entirely.
Here’s the thing about Portland’s backcourt right now. It’s loaded. Damian Lillard is still there. Jrue Holiday is still there. Scoot Henderson is still there. And now Ja Morant is there. That’s four guys who expect to play. That’s four guys who have started games in this league. That math doesn’t work out without someone making a sacrifice Nori is at least keeping the possibility out in the open.
Morant landed in Portland after a blockbuster trade that sent shockwaves through the league. He was the second overall pick in 2019 and won Rookie of the Year. He took home Most Improved Player and made All-NBA Second Team during Memphis’s 56-win season in 2021-22. Then injuries and off-court issues slowed him down. His career averages sit at 22.4 points and 7.4 assists. He’s still only 26 years old.
But none of that means he automatically slots into the starting five on this particular roster. The Blazers have legitimate depth and Nori has to figure out how to keep everyone involved without losing the locker room. Bringing a star off the bench is unconventional. It also worked pretty well for teams like the 2014 Spurs with Manu Ginobili. Nori isn’t saying it will happen. He’s just saying he won’t pretend it can’t.
Preseason should start giving us some clues. Training camp hasn’t even opened yet. For now the Blazers are loaded with talent and short on easy answers. Nori seems fine with that tension.
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