Why Ja Morant's Lunch Meeting With Micah Nori Signals a New Era for Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are starting fresh with Ja Morant as their point guard and Micah Nori as their head coach, opening a new era in the franchise's history.

Morant and Nori were with the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves for the last several years, but unexpected job changes have brought them together in Portland. The two met for lunch in Morant's native South Carolina to get to know each other, where Nori got a good idea of what he was getting in his new point guard.

“I think we are going to get the best version of Ja,” Nori said via The Athletic insider Jason Quick. “I think we are going to get a motivated Ja.

“The way he was talking, the way he looked … the intent he had, you could just tell in his face that he missed basketball,” Nori added. “And he assured that we were going to get the best Ja and that he was going to do all the right things.”

Ja Morant Ready For Fresh Start in Portland

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant talks with Denver Nuggets guard Tyus Jones. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Morant's tenure with the Grizzlies ended without his best basketball. He only played in 20 games this season as Memphis fell apart with injuries. Morant was dealing with a sprained UCL, which kept him out from January onwards. He is healthy now and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp with the Blazers.

Morant also struggled to fit in with new head coach Tuomas Iisalo, who replaced Taylor Jenkins after six years with the team. Jenkins and Morant worked together to reach the playoffs, which is where the point guard wants to be in Portland.

“All throughout the lunch, we didn’t talk about playing time; we didn’t talk about rotations; he didn’t ask me to start,” Nori said via Quick.

“All he kept talking about was how the most fun he had playing basketball was those first couple years in Memphis, when they were in the playoffs. He kept talking about how he was excited to have the opportunity to win basketball games and not have to play for ping-pong balls.”

This Version of Morant is Exactly What Blazers Need

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Atlanta Hawks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The fit with Morant and Damian Lillard appears questionable on paper, but having two motivated point guards puts the Blazers in a good spot. The team is looking for multiple ways to win and they should look very different than they did a year ago.

Portland finished 42-40 last season with Deni Avdija as their leading scorer. Avdija became an All-Star with his ascension, and he should complete a power trio with his new point guard teammates.

The Blazers have a lot to prove as a team, which should make them hard to beat against even the best teams in the league, which is exactly where Portland wants to be.

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