Portland has an intriguing partnership to develop
Damian Lillard and Ja Morant gave Portland its first game look at a new backcourt in the Trail Blazers’ 123–118 preseason win over Golden State on October 7, October 8 in the Philippines. Lillard scored 15 points and Morant supplied eight points with five assists at Moda Center. There was enough to encourage Portland, but too little to declare the partnership complete.
Lillard made three three-pointers in 19 minutes. Morant played a similar workload and gave Portland another player capable of initiating the offense. Their individual contributions suggest a workable division of responsibility: Morant can handle possessions that allow Lillard to threaten a defense away from the ball, while Lillard’s shooting gives the ballhandler another outlet. That is a tactical possibility to develop, rather than a conclusion established by one box score.
The same numbers explain why the coaching staff will have more to review. Morant committed four turnovers against five assists. Adding Lillard’s line gives the two guards six assists and five turnovers in their individual totals. Those figures are not statistics for their shared minutes and should not be presented as a two-man lineup rating. They do identify ball security as an immediate point of attention.
The opponent also limits what can be taken from the result. Golden State rested Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and other veterans on the second night of a back-to-back, according to Blazer’s Edge. Portland still had a competitive game to finish. The teams were tied at 86 after three quarters before the Blazers won the final period by five.
Golden State made 19 of 34 three-pointers. That exceptional shooting helped keep the visitors close, but the team total alone cannot identify which Portland defender was responsible for particular shots. It would be premature to blame the new guards for every defensive breakdown or assume opponents will keep shooting at that rate.
Portland’s next useful test is repeatability. Can its guards create advantages while reducing empty possessions? Can the lineup defend well enough to make its offensive choices sustainable against a stronger opposing rotation? Those questions require more possessions and a clearer picture of the combinations coach Micah Nori plans to use.
The warning is about the size of the sample, not the appeal of the partnership. Lillard’s shooting and Morant’s playmaking offer Portland options. The preseason opener showed why they are worth exploring, while leaving the harder questions for the games ahead.