“Make Them More Dangerous”: ESPN Analyst Says Ja Morant’s Injury Layoff Will Benefit Blazers

 Moving away and apart from the team he played 9 seasons with, Ja Morant was close to finding a change of pattern in Portland. Until ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that the 27-year-old former Memphis Grizzlies star will hit the hardwood no sooner than a month.

“Portland Trail Blazers' Ja Morant has sustained a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will miss at least four weeks, sources tell ESPN,” Charania’s X post read this Friday.

However, ESPN analyst and former NBA champ Kendrick Perkins believed that the Blazers can very much turn this mess around.

“Trail Blazers are one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference,” Perkins said on NBA Countdown following the Blazers’ latest 124-103 blowout loss to the Grizzlies. “I know they lost last night, but make no mistake about it. They got great depth, and now with Ja being sidelined, prepare for Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday to get more minutes. And it's going to continue to make them more dangerous when Ja returns.”

From the surface level, this just looks plain bad. Apart from his revenge arc, there has been optimism that Morant was going to play 6 consecutive games this season, which he hasn’t since 2023. He was also averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds so far.

Getting those numbers back wouldn’t be a concern with Deni Avdija dropping 20+ in most games, averaging 22.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists.

However, replacing Morant’s ability to create possessions will be tough. His rim pressure, selfless playmaking, and clutch creation in late-game environments are known to collapse opponents’ defense, allowing ball-handling teammates to get a kick-out, a cutter or an extra pass.

But Perkins believed that this is where the tandem of Henderson-Holiday can come in. As the 6-time NBA All-Defensive selection and a veteran with 18 seasons (ongoing) under his belt, Holiday brings elite perimeter defense and floor pacing (37% career 3P).

Combine that with Henderson’s high-octane dynamism and ability to create transition pressure, and there you have drive-and-kicks several times a game.

Moreover, Holiday is averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.8 rebounds, and Henderson has 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists across 4 games. More minutes can boost their individual numbers while giving the team an overall offensive surge.

Or, the team can also use Donovan Clingan as a screener and get Damian Lillard on the floor with Henderson and Holiday to create more movement.

Basically, the key is not to try to find Morant’s replacement in a single player, but to split his assignments among others and build chemistry and wins by the time Morant returns.

Only then can the team actually become the “force to be reckoned with when it comes to the Western Conference,” as noted Perkins.

It’ll be interesting to see what kind of adjustments they come up with, going against the Utah Jazz this Saturday night.