Portland Trail Blazers · 9 notes
"I'm not going to be playing 38 minutes per night," Portland's Damian Lillard, 36, says. He felt fine at 20 to 25 minutes in preseason and the guard depth means less load. He plans to play back-to-backs but may sit one somewhere, to stay fresh for the postseason.
Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan started Portland's last preseason game. Coach Micah Nori called that "probably a pretty good indication" for the Oct. 21 opener vs. Phoenix but didn't commit. Scoot Henderson comes off the bench for "downhill scoring."
Damian Lillard is back from a lower-body injury. Portland coach Micah Nori said 13 free throw attempts show his quickness is intact, and "he hurt his lower body, not his upper body. He can still shoot the thing." Nori said the team got through the preseason relatively healthy.
Asked if he was limping, the Kings' Emanuel Sharp shrugged off the knocks: "So it ain't nothing new. ... But I'm good." Nor is he fazed by Damian Lillard, Ja Morant or Jrue Holiday: "I'm not looking at these guys intimidated or anything." He credits Doug Christie for that.
Ja Morant, in his first Portland preseason game and "my first since January pretty much," gave himself "probably a 6.5" and said he was "a little passive." Coaches and Damian Lillard told him to stay aggressive; with so much talent around him, he'd figured he didn't need 30.
Damian Lillard played in the preseason after coming back from injury, and Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said: "going through an injury like he was, just seeing him there hooping again and having fun and knocking down 3s. You know, you got to take a smile"
Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III anchor Portland's defensive plan: Jrue Holiday says the perimeter defenders contain and the two centers protect behind. On offense, he expects attention on Damian Lillard, Ja Morant and Deni Avdija to open shots for him and Williams.
Clingan says smaller lineups mean more shot-blocking on him: "I love the challenge." Morant wants returning players aggressive beside him and Lillard, and on the foul emphasis on drivers: "I've looked at every rulebook and I don't think they ever apply to me."
From Portland's media availability: Ja Morant says playing with Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson means he needn't be ball dominant, opening catch-and-shoot 3s and cuts. Donovan Clingan on 3-pointers: "if I'm open and I like the shot, I'm gonna shoot it."