A happy Ja Morant has been a familiar sight this preseason for the Portland Trail Blazers.
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PORTLAND — For years, the general manager studied him from afar. And when the Portland Trail Blazers decided to make a splash and trade for Ja Morant this summer, their new coach flew across the country to meet with him.
But no matter how much Joe Cronin did background checks, and no matter how well a steakhouse lunch in South Carolina with Micah Nori went, nobody was sure what the Morant experience would be like in Portland.
The early returns?
Attitude-wise, he has been a dream: upbeat, smiling, joking, engaging.
Basketball-wise, there is some rust that comes with playing only 20 games last season. In Wednesday’s preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors, Morant had eight points, five assists and four turnovers in 19 minutes.
He air-balled a 3-pointer in the first half but later darted through the lane and glided to a layup through traffic. And while he pushed the pace unlike any player the Blazers have had since the days of Damon Stoudamire and Rod Strickland, Morant also had some sloppy turnovers because he tried to split double teams or barge his way into space.
“I think he was just sped up,’’ Nori said. “I think some of it was timing issues.’’
The missed passes, errant shots and forced action are all correctable. They likely will be cleaned up through repetition and more familiarity with his new teammates.
What seems to be more relevant and important is where Morant is mentally, and spiritually.
Throughout the first week of training camp, a defining image has been Morant’s teeth. Every day he has been smiling … laughing … talking … his teeth on display for all to see.
“I feel like he has a lot of joy right now,’’ said Damian Lillard, who started alongside Morant on Wednesday. “I read people well, you know? And I can tell he is not pretending to be happy, you know? He walks around with a smile. And when we practice, and he’s talking, he’s engaged, he’s invested, and you are able to see that he’s happy with his situation.’’
Morant’s mood figures to be a large part of the equation in determining whether this experiment works. Sure, injuries have in part limited him to 20 games last season, 50 the year before and nine in 2023-24 — but so too have suspensions for insubordination with his coach in Memphis and defiance to directives from the NBA regarding guns.
After Wednesday’s game, Morant left the locker room before media members arrived because he wanted to attend an event where he could meet season-ticket holders. Clarity on what is behind his joy will have to come another day.
In the meantime, there is growing optimism in Portland that this unconventional trial of playing two undersized point guards — Morant and Lillard — can work. If Morant has a head that is on straight and a heart that is filled with good intentions, the only wildcard is whether his body can defy injuries.
His coaches and teammates have seen enough in practice, and enough during his 19 minutes Wednesday, to believe he can return to the level that earned him selections to the All-Star Game in 2022 and 2023. His speed is still notable, and he has enough juke-and-jive to slalom through packed defenses.
“When you look back when he was playing at a very high level, not too long ago, he was in the paint like 52 percent of the time,’’ Nori said. “And he got there tonight … it just didn’t work out for him. But the one thing we don’t want to do is tell him not to go in there. We don’t want to deter that mentality.’’
Some have questioned Nori’s mentality to start Morant and Lillard in the same backcourt. In the toxic, tear-down culture of NBA fandom, the pairing’s defensive prowess has drawn comparisons to Swiss cheese and barbecue chicken. And some have presented the notion of how two ball-dominant guards can co-exist as a question of when, not if, it will implode.
On Wednesday, there were no glaring examples of a troubled pairing. Nori said when the two share the floor, he views Morant as the point guard and Lillard the off guard. The team will largely improvise in transition — any non-center who rebounds is instructed to push — while the centers are instructed to find Morant for an outlet.
Still, on Wednesday, Lillard sometimes ran the point, with Morant hanging in the corner. Lillard — who finished with 15 points on 5-for-11 shooting — said he welcomed the other minutes when Morant initiated, allowing Lillard the luxury to seek space and hunt shots.
“I’m not having to exert myself as much,’’ Lillard said.
The defensive nightmares of the Morant-Lillard pairing never manifested against the Warriors. Both had two steals, and Nori left with as much hair as when the game started.
“I mean, they had their moments, but they did try to compete on the ball,’’ Nori said.
Said Lillard: “I think our potential is great. Obviously I see what people say, but most of them haven’t had to jump out there and do it. I played for eight years with another undersized backcourt mate (CJ McCollum), and we were able to get a lot done. And people had similar things to say, but the bottom line is we never lost. We never had a losing team. We won and gave people some problems. And I think we have a similar situation with Ja.’’
When Nori met Morant for lunch in South Carolina in June, he said he asked Morant for the best version of himself. With a curious eye, Nori has observed the 27-year-old during his acclimation to Portland and the Blazers. He wanted to see if Morant met his unofficial bar for authenticity.
“How do you treat people who can do nothing for you?’’ Nori said. “And what I mean by that is … of course Ja’s going to be cool with me. He’s going to be good to Joe (Cronin). But when you watch him from afar and you see him talking to the night security guy, talking to (practice facility manager), to all the chefs … he integrates himself, he is a people person. A guy who speaks first, says hello first. He has always been in a great mood.’’
Nori said he knows Morant won’t be in a good mood every day — who is? H said he is convinced that one thing will stay consistent with Morant: his will to win.
Less than two weeks before the start of the regular season, Morant has already won over the Blazers.
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Jason Quick is a senior writer for The Athletic. Based in Portland, he writes about personalties and trends of the NBA, with a focus on human connections. He has been named Oregon sportswriter of the year four times and has won awards from APSE, SPJ, and Pro Basketball Writers Association. You can follow Jason on X @jwquick.
