Damian Lillard Says He, Ja Morant and Deni Avdija Will Start and Portland's Fantasy Pecking Order Is Taking Shape

Damian Lillard has put Portland's starting lineup debate on the record before the first preseason game. Speaking after the Trail Blazers opened training camp in Tualatin on Tuesday, Lillard said that as far as he knows, Ja Morant will start, he will start and Deni Avdija will start. He added that he had not had an in-depth conversation with first-year head coach Micah Nori about it, and Nori said he is trying to stay as open-minded as possible about his options.

Early camp reporting backs Lillard up. Lillard has spent much of the first two days working alongside Morant, Avdija, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan, and that five is widely expected to be the opening night group. For fantasy managers, that is the most useful piece of information Portland has produced all offseason, because it settles who gets the first crack at the ball in one of the league's most crowded rotations.

Why this lineup was never a given

Portland's summer was busy. The Blazers acquired Morant from Memphis, brought Lillard back for his first full season since rupturing his Achilles, and handed the bench to Nori. Avdija returns as an All-Star wing who ran a large share of the offense last season. That gives Portland three players who are used to initiating, plus Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, both of whom can also run point.

Morant himself opened the door to a bench role at media day on Monday, saying that winning is what matters most to him and that starting or not starting is the same thing to him. That answer created a real question for drafters, since a sixth-man Morant would carry a very different minutes and usage profile. Lillard's comments a day later pushed the conversation firmly back toward a three-creator starting group.

Lillard also offered a broader take on how it will all fit, saying he thinks the balance will work itself out based on what the group is capable of. That is a reasonable stance in September. It is also the kind of statement that can change quickly if the spacing breaks down in preseason games.

Lillard's health is not the question anymore

The biggest variable entering the summer was Lillard's Achilles. He missed all of last season after the rupture, was cleared for five-on-five work in late April, and enters camp with no restrictions. At media day he said his body feels as good as it has in three or four years in terms of movement, stopping and changing direction.

That matters because it removes the most obvious reason to fade him. A healthy Lillard is still a high-volume three-point shooter who piles up points and threes, and the camp reports describe a player who is handling a full workload. The more realistic risk is rest management over 82 games for a player in his mid-thirties coming off a major lower-body injury, not a limited role.

Sharpe's absence is why the math works

The other reason the backcourt is less crowded than it looked in July is that Shaedon Sharpe is out. Sharpe tore the meniscus in his right knee in an offseason workout, underwent surgery, and was given a six-month timeline when the injury was reported on Aug. 24. That pushes a realistic return to late February at the earliest, after the All-Star break, coming off the best scoring season of his career.

Without Sharpe, the wing minutes behind Avdija and Camara are thinner, and the Blazers can start two lead guards without bumping a 20-point scorer to the bench. When Sharpe returns, the rotation gets complicated again, but that is a problem for the fantasy playoff stretch, not for October drafts.

Fantasy fallout

Ja Morant is the clear winner of the week. A starting role next to Lillard will shave some of his on-ball volume compared with his Memphis peak, but it secures the minutes floor that a bench role would have threatened. Draft him as a points, assists and steals producer with real games-played risk, and do not overcorrect for the shared backcourt.

Damian Lillard looks like a solid mid-round value now that his health is a non-issue. Expect a slight dip in usage from his Milwaukee days, but threes and free throws should remain strong. Deni Avdija is the player most likely to see his assist rate fall, since Morant and Lillard will soak up initiation duties. His rebounding and scoring keep a firm floor, but managers who drafted him as a de facto point forward should temper that part of the projection.

Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara are the quiet beneficiaries. Both are already considered among the best defensive duos in the league, and a lineup with two pick-and-roll guards should feed Clingan plenty of lob and putback chances. Clingan's blocks and rebounds make him a strong middle-round center target, while Camara is a deep-league steals and threes play.

The losers are Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. Both project as bench guards splitting second-unit ball handling, which makes Holiday a late-round, category-specific stash at best and Henderson a hold only in dynasty formats until the rotation shakes out.

What to do in your league

If you have a draft this weekend, lean into Morant at his current price and treat Lillard as a starter rather than an injury discount. In points leagues, Clingan's double-double potential with this lineup is worth moving him up a few spots. In category leagues, prioritize Camara over Holiday if you need defensive stats late.

Bettors should watch how Nori staggers Lillard and Morant in preseason. Portland's own stated goals in camp include 50-plus wins and home court in the playoffs, which is an ambitious target for a team with a new coach and three players learning to share the ball. Verdexed's game-by-game probabilities for the regular season will live at /nba/predictions once the schedule tips off.

What's next

Portland's camp in Tualatin runs through Friday, Oct. 2, and the preseason schedule will give Nori his first look at the expected starting group against live competition. The main things to track are whether Nori formally confirms the lineup Lillard described, how many minutes Holiday and Henderson receive behind it, and any updates on Sharpe's rehab. Until Nori says otherwise, draft Portland as Morant, Lillard, Avdija, Camara and Clingan.