NBA/Blazers 2026-27 Thread

[pezsez1]

Well soon we'll see what Coach Nori thinks, but so far it's Dame and Scoot. That's from a quick analysis of the two preseason games in which all of our guards have played.

Dame leads the team in 3s and steals in those games and is just behind Jrue and Scoot for assists despite being the team's second-leading scorer. He's doing a great job leading the 1s and setting things up for Deni. We can already see the benefits of Deni getting to work with more room in the paint.

Scoot and Jrue had equal assists in those matchups, and Jrue has the clear rebounding advantage. But Scoot is beating him in scoring efficiency (which we started to see a bit in last year's playoffs) and his impactful hustle plays are unmatched. Scoot + Toumani in the starting lineup will be a problem for opponents.

Eh, it is close... I could probably be talked into Jrue starting alongside Dame. But right now it's hard to ignore Scoot at the 2.

Ja makes too much sense on the second unit. It's great he's flexing as a playmaker (11 assists in those two games) while he works on rediscovering his scoring punch, but Ja The Scorer simply won't complement Deni as beautifully as Damian Lillard. Meanwhile, he provides instant scoring in the second unit, which is something we haven't had in a very long time. All great teams need a guy like that on the bench.

[Phalanx]

I'm not sure what game you watched. Lillard is not 'leading the ones' in anything. He defers to whoever the other point guard is and waits for the playmaker to pass him the ball. The offense doesn't go through him anymore; Deni is the focal point now, and Ja is increasingly filling that role when he is in. If you look closely, you can already see Lillard's role beginning to be naturally relegated to perimeter shooter - that's just where he fits on this team. Just watch when they start playing other team's starters. Lillard is significantly slower than the younger guards.

Coach Nori is not going to be free to bring Lillard off the bench, at least to start the season while they are still trying to sell tickets. We won't see who he thinks the best unit is for some time - probably at least a few months. If Scoot and Ja maintain this trajectory though, I would expect them to be getting the lion's share of the minutes by the end of the season.

[pezsez1]

Lillard is leading the 1s and it shows in virtually every single eye test and metric. The fact he can shoot from the perimeter is why he's so valuable to this team. He will start the entire season (unless he's injured). He looks great, he's actually playing defense, and Deni is thriving when he's on the floor. I know you don't like Dame, but you're going to have to deal with this or it's gonna be a long year for ya.

What we SHOULD be discussing is who will play the 2. It's between Jrue and Scoot. Both bring unique strengths. I like Scoot's youth and think that gives him the edge over an aging Holiday, especially because Dame appears to be providing all the leadership the ones really need. Jrue playing off the bench could help to get the most out of Ja. Also Jrue should have enough minutes available at the 2 or 3 to showcase whatever he's got left in the tank before the midseason trade deadline. Keep an eye on that, especially if Scoot's ascension continues.

Do you think Jrue or Scoot starts alongside Dame? Eager to hear your thoughts on that, since the other guard issues appear to be settled.

[Phalanx]

If you think he is playing defense, you need to get your eyes checked.

Also, I would say that almost nothing in terms of the guards is 'settled', which is why Nori is doing so much mixing and matching. Again, this would be apparent if you had watched the game. He had literally every combo he could think of in there and he did that for three quarters before he took all the guards out for the fourth. I expect the mixing to continue into the regular season, possibly depending on the opponent. Jrue doesn't care about starting at this point and is very focused on helping Scoot develop, but I bet we see him more when the game is on the line.

I agree that injury will likely be the catalyst for Lillard sitting. I suspect Coach Nori is willing to play along with him starting for now, knowing that injury is inevitable. In the meantime, the main challenge in coaching Lillard will be to get him to limit his shots. I did notice that several plays didn't even involve Lillard last night - they went through Deni instead and Lillard just camped on the perimeter. I expect to see more of that when they start playing real players.

[pezsez1]

Leading the team in steals (over their two "meaningful" games) is pretty good for a guy who just wants to stand around and shoot!

Nah, Nori isn't playing games. This is a professional basketball team with playoff aspirations. Damian Lillard has started both games he's played in and is one of the team's top few leaders in minutes played. Nori clearly values having a Top 75 All-Time player on the floor with his young prime All-Star. Dame looks great in all phases of the game. For him to lead the team in steals after a couple games shows he's making an impact on the defensive end.

Besides, Nori, Dame, and Ja have been telegraphing this for months. Nori told Dame he'd start. Dame told us he'd start. Nori told Ja he might come off the bench. Ja said he'd embrace a role off the bench. And that's what we're seeing play out.

I guess if you want, we can talk about whether Ja might end up starting at the 2, but Nori already said it wouldn't make sense to start him and Dame together, so, again, all signs point to Ja as the sixth man.

Another thing that's actually worth debating -- how many minutes will Dame/Scoot/Ja/Jrue play each night? Even with Dame and ??? starting, I could still see the reserves getting plenty of run. That's something else Nori has already come out and said he intends to do.

EDIT:

Fun FB reel with some good stuff about how Dame & Ja are opening up the offense.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2838234099885279

[Phalanx]

Oh, Pez mentioned Top 75, everyone take a shot.

Heh, led the team in steals over two games with four. That's HUGE! DPOY, here we come!

Somehow, I think Drexler's team record is safe. That poking at the ball as the player blows by might work on the end-of-the-bench scrubs that Lillard has been guarding so far, but not so much vs real players.

I'm not debating how many minutes everyone will play. I haven't changed my prediction since they traded for Ja. They're all going to play to begin the season and I expect the younger guards to play more as the season wears on. They are the future, Lillard is the past. The past is full of playoff failure. Time to turn a new leaf, but first, make sure you bought those season tickets, Pez. You get a free picture of Lillard with every purchase.

[Boom]

Trying to play 4 undersized guards is a joke. Nori on a 1 year contract will go all out on who gives him the best chance to win. I don't think Joe Cronin will have much influence on who plays and I'm not sure if he cares if they're the young guards or not. They chose not to extend Scoot, whom I think is a younger higher upside version of Ja. They're going to have a hard time retaining Deni when his contract is up. There's been nothing rational with Cronin. Jury is still out on Dundon. He's clearly not a basketball guy and he might be too cheap to fire and replace Cronin with a competent GM.

[pezsez1]

Oh, Pez mentioned Top 75, everyone take a shot.

I hope you know I'm just yanking your chain a bit. I do think Dame will start the whole year, but it's a long season and who knows. Go Blazers!