There were many positive and negative moments Ja Morant saw his first preseason game with Trail Blazers Wednesday night, but the most encouraging part of his time in Portland has been his attitude, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic. After falling out with the coaching staff and front office last year in Memphis, Morant took the opposite approach with his new team. Quick reports that he was always smiling and laughing with his teammates and seems happy in his new surroundings.
Starting in the back area nearby Damian LillardMorant had eight points, five assists and four turnovers in 19 minutes. He pushed the pace throughout the game and created scoring opportunities with his speed, but it also led to some poor decisions that led to turnovers.
“I feel he has a lot of joy right now,” Lillard said. “I’m good at reading people, you know? And I can tell he’s not pretending to be happy, you know? He walks around with a smile. And when we practice and he talks, he’s engaged, he’s invested, and you can see he’s happy with his situation.”
coach Mika Nori plans to use Morant and Lillard as starters when the season begins, raising questions about whether the two ball-handling, defensively limited guards can be effective together. Quick says that after watching Marant in practice, the Blazers are confident he can return to an All-Star level, and they believe he and Lillard can define a pairing.
“I think our potential is great” Lillard said. “Obviously I understand what people are saying, but most of them haven’t had to jump up and do that. I played eight years with another undersized backcourt mate (CJ McCollum), and we were able to do a lot. And people could say things like that, but the bottom line is that 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.
There are more from the Northwest Division:
- Lillard talks about his recovery from the torn Achilles that caused him to miss all of last season in an interview with NBA TV (Link to video on Twitter). The Trail Blazers star said he now feels “great”, crediting his decision to attack the rehab process from the start. “I feel like I’m back to everything I had before” he added. “I feel explosive going both ways. I feel like I can make any shot from any range.” Lillard also confirmed that he plans to take the 3-point shootout at the All-Star Game in hopes of winning the contest for a record fourth time.
- Jazz center Jackson Hayes ready for the additional responsibility that will arise as a result Yusuf Nurkich‘s an injuryrelay By Na’Andre Emerson of The Deseret News. Hayes moved into the starting lineup on Tuesday and will likely retain that role when the season begins. “It’s just a next-man-up mentality,” he said. “I’ve dealt with a lot of situations in Los Angeles, so just staying ready and being professional. Everybody has to be ready.”
- Thunder security guard Jalen Williams couldn’t stay healthy during the playoffs, but he looked 100% in his preseason debut Wednesday, finishing with 16 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes on 8-for-11 shooting, for Justin Martinez of Oklahoman. “He was wonderful” coach Mark Dyno said. “It’s great to see him out there playing with confidence and aggression, like on both ends of the court. He has an electric motor that’s really contagious within the team, and you can really feel it when he’s on both ends of the court.”
