The One Offensive Adjustment the Blazers Must Address Before Opening Night

The Portland Trail Blazers will go through some growing pains during the 2026-27 season as they incorporate Damian Lillard and Ja Morant into the rotation.

Lillard and Morant have been the leading scorers of their offenses throughout their careers, but that might not be the case this season with Deni Avdija also on the court. The three of them have the ability to average 25 points per game, but the ball can't be in all three of their hands all the time. Portland will have to find some balance between the three in order to coexist.

Blazers Need to Establish Offensive Hierarchy

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant looks on during the second half against the Orlando Magic. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Blazers' new offense can be a blessing or a curse. They have three very capable players that can go out and get a bucket on any given possession, but it's how they play off of the ball that will dictate how strongly the Blazers' offense performs throughout the year.

In the 2025-26 season, Morant had a usage rate of 32.4 percent, while Avdija was right at 31 percent. In Lillard's final season with the Blazers, he was at a career-high 33.7 percent in 2022-23. Upon his trade to the Milwaukee Bucks, however, his usage rate dipped and reached 27.7 percent in 2024-25, which was the last season he played after missing all of the 2025-26 campaign while recovering from a torn Achilles.

Player	Usage Rate
Ja Morant	32.4% (2025-26 with MEM)
Deni Avdija	31.0% (2025-26 with POR)
Damian Lillard	27.7% (2024-25 with MIL)

Lillard's experience as a co-star next to Giannis Antetokounmpo should prepare him well for this new look Portland offense. Avdija also has seen his usage rate go up over the years, and he has played a secondary role on teams in the past. Given how well he played with the Blazers last season, it would be a mistake to revert him back to being a role player.

It remains to be seen how much the Blazers will get out of Lillard as a 36-year-old coming off an Achilles tear. Lillard was one of the league's best point guards before his injury, so it's safe to say Portland will still have an incredibly talented Dame. It might make more sense for him to be the one to take the back seat from Morant and Avdija.

New head coach Micah Nori will also likely try to stagger Lillard and Morant's minutes so that at least one of them will be on the court at all times. They will have times throughout the game where both of them are on the court, but throughout most of the 48 minutes, it will likely be just one of them.

As for Avdija, having him as the secondary playmaker on the court will make him very dangerous, as teams have to respect his abilities as a primary playmaker. He can bounce off of Lillard and Morant as well.

Avdija is one of the best drivers in the league, and he generated so much offense by attacking the paint. That's also something that Morant does exceptionally well. Having two of the league's best drivers will force teams to defend the paint really well, but they also have a strong three-point shooter in Lillard, which will help Portland tremendously in an area where they really need improvement.

The Blazers were 26th in the NBA last season in 3-point percentage, so having Lillard back in the fold will allow the team to space out a lot easier so that Morant and Avdija can go to work in the paint.

Figuring out exactly where each of the three of them fit will be a work in progress over the course of the season, but this is a very good problem for the Blazers to have. All three will start for the Blazers and split responsibility of taking a lead, but figuring out their exact roles will be the key to unlocking the potential of this Portland offense.

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