Ben Simmons Is the Last Player the Trail Blazers Need - Yahoo Sports

Putting Morant in the backcourt with Damian Lillard in a starting group with Deni Avdija makes little sense In a perfect world, NBA teams would make every decision purely based on basketball merit. It rarely works out that way. Locker room dynamics are tricky. Players fight hard to earn their stature within the sport. It affects their reputations, their earning power and their entire careers. It usually isn't something they're eager to sacrifice because someone else thinks it might make the team slightly better. For the sake of maintaining harmony, teams are frequently forced to make decisions they might not otherwise make. The Portland Trail Blazers are currently experiencing such a dilemma. Earlier this offseason, the Blazers traded for Ja Morant. Last summer, they reacquired Damian Lillard as he recovered from a torn Achilles. And last season, Deni Avdija grew into an All-Star as Portland's only reliable ball-handler. Having one consistent shot creator isn't enough. Having three, at least in the wrong context, is too many. Yet at his media availability at training camp on Tuesday, Lillard said he expects to start alongside Avdija and Morant this season.

Sacramento’s revamped rotation faces a crucial defensive test as two healthy wings return to provide the veteran playmaking and perimeter shooting needed to spark a bounce-back season.