Portland Trail Blazers Plan New Roles for Jha Morant and Deni Avdija in Backcourt

The Portland Trail Blazers officially acquired Jha Morant on June 30, 2026, in a surprising trade involving Kris Murray and Jerami Grant. The team plans to start Morant alongside Damian Lillard in the backcourt next season, experimenting with a three-guard lineup that also includes Jrue Holiday. This marks a significant shift for Deni Avdija, who carried much of the offensive load last season but is expected to see his role change both offensively and defensively.

Avdija, who played heavy minutes as a point guard due to injuries to Holiday and Scott Henderson, averaged 26.1 points, 6.9 assists, and took 17 shots per game before a back injury slowed him down. The Blazers hope that with Morant and Lillard sharing ball-handling duties, Avdija can reduce his minutes from 35.4 to around 32 per game and focus more on defense, an area where he has excelled in the past. Offensively, the presence of two dynamic guards could allow Avdija to take higher-quality shots and cut more to the basket, rather than creating his own offense as much.

Morant’s shooting struggles from beyond the arc (31.1% career three-point shooting) could create spacing challenges alongside shooters like Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little, but the Blazers aim to address this through increased off-ball movement and guard-to-guard screens. The team also hopes to increase its pace of play, potentially moving from the 10th fastest team last season into the top five or even top three.

Overall, the Blazers are looking to build a more balanced offense that does not rely solely on Avdija’s scoring, which was among the highest usage rates in the NBA last year. While Avdija’s individual statistics may decline, the team expects this new configuration to improve Portland’s overall performance and allow Avdija to thrive in a more sustainable role.