Ja Morant Set to Start Alongside Damian Lillard for Portland Trail Blazers

Ja Morant will open the upcoming NBA season starting in the backcourt next to Damian Lillard for the Portland Trail Blazers. According to league insider Chris Haynes, the team's backcourt plans place the star guard right into the starting lineup alongside Lillard.

The Portland roster adjustments come after the franchise acquired the guard in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies on June 29, sending forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray the other way. Prior to the announcement, training camp carried some uncertainty regarding the backcourt configuration given the team's existing depth.

Backcourt Dynamics and Lineup Decisions

Guards Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson are expected to begin games on the bench. Holiday previously started 51 games during the prior season while Lillard recovered from a torn Achilles tendon. Meanwhile, Henderson made 30 regular-season appearances and impressed as a starter in the postseason series against the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 15.0 points.

During his seven-year tenure in Memphis, the two-time All-Star started in the vast majority of his appearances. Despite the history, he indicated a flexible attitude regarding his positioning following the change of scenery, emphasizing that team success remains his primary objective above individual starting honors.

Preseason Performance and Upcoming Schedule

The 27-year-old guard experienced a challenging previous year limited by an elbow injury to 20 appearances, where he averaged 19.5 points. However, his preseason performances in Portland showed positive signs as he averaged 11.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 steals across limited minutes while shooting efficiently from the field.

Looking ahead at the schedule, the Trail Blazers are preparing for a matchup in the context of blazers vs suns, where Portland will open their regular-season campaign against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.

Sources: Bleacher Report, Yahoo Sports, NBC Sports.