Does Ja Morant Need to Lead the Blazers?

The Portland Trail Blazers are hoping Ja Morant can give them a boost in his first season with the team.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant prepares to shoot the ball during warmups. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Ja Morant is figuring out how to mesh with his new team after playing with the Memphis Grizzlies for seven years.

Morant was a leader for the Grizzlies as he helped them reach the playoffs four times throughout his career, but he finds himself amongst a mix of young players and veterans in Portland. Blazers head coach Micah Nori created a stir on social media when he spoke in a recent press conference about Morant not needing to be the leader for the team, but he walked back on those comments.

"Everybody who is capable of leading wants to lead. I think when I said that Ja Morant is a leader, he is, but he's more comfortable leading in practice and one-on-one than having to be the voice of the team," Nori said.

Micah Nori after practice today:

- Taking care of the basketball is the most important and goes hand in hand with being unselfish.

- Ja, Dame, Deni and Scoot naturally will have the ball in their hands more.

- Wants his players to look to score first and playmake after; roles… pic.twitter.com/diOymwcl5Q

— Sahal Arwo (@ArwoNBA) October 9, 2026

Why Morant Needs to Lead

At the end of the day, the point guard position on the court plays an important role for the entire five-player unit. The point guard is the table setter, the quarterback, and the hub of the team on both ends of the floor. He needs to be able to step into that role at times.

Morant fell into that role with the Grizzlies, and the team found success with him at the helm. While they didn't reach the ultimate level of success, they were still able to win a lot of games with him as the starting point guard. The Blazers are putting him in the spotlight once again, which will force him to pick his teammates up when he is called to do so.

Why Morant Can Take a Step Back

Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I believe the genesis of Nori's comments came from the fact that the team has other vocal leaders on the roster, most notably Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. Both have been in the league longer than Morant and have experienced more success than him.

It's hard to imagine Dame not having a strong, veteran voice in the group. This is the first time in Morant's career when he really isn't the franchise cornerstone expected to lead them to victory, so he doesn't have to be the loudest, most vocal leader in the group.

Perhaps not being in that role will take some pressure off of him that could lead to better results down the line. There's hope that this change for Morant will lead to the Blazers taking that next step forward.