The Portland Trail Blazers' backcourt dealt with one injury after another last season. It's impressive they managed to win 42 games and reach the postseason, which is a testament to Deni Avdija's star ascension in that point-forward role to keep this offense afloat.
Though they're now dealing with another extensive injury to high-flyer Shaedon Sharpe, this Blazers backcourt has flipped from a weakness to a strength over the offseason. Playmaking and turnovers, in particular, were issues for Portland last season, ranking dead last in the league at 17.3 per game.
Now, they have more ball handlers and decision-makers than new head coach Micah Nori even knows what to do with.
Micah Nori calls out Deni Avdija's defense at Media Day
Monday at Blazers Media Day, he made it clear that Avdija will continue to play in that point-forward role, as they'd be crazy not to after seeing his success last season in that role under interim head coach Tiago Splitter.
Still, Nori is also excited about the opportunities having all these guards will provide Avdija that he didn't necessarily have last season. For instance, he calls out Avdija's game on the defensive end, saying they'll get him to start playing more defense, as he did as a role player with the Washington Wizards.
"Everyone wants to talk about us possibly being small on the perimeter; how do we protect those guys? And so we'll have some ways to combat that. But when you have Camaras, Jrues, and then the two big guys that we have there as a start… and then we'll also get Deni to start guarding over here in the Western Conference like he did in the Eastern Conference when he was in Washington," Nori said.
Later, Nori calls Avdija a "very capable defender when he wants to be, for sure."
Blazers should get most complete version of Deni yet
Avdija's defense took a noticeable step back with the Blazers last season, as you could tell he was saving energy to initiate most of the offense. Statistically, Avdija's numbers could dip slightly this season with more cooks in the kitchen. Nori points to that as likely increasing Avdija's efficiency, as the looks he does get will likely be better or less forced.
Even more important than the efficiency, however, is what this added playmaking should do for Avdija's game as a two-way wing.
He has the physical tools to be a strong, versatile perimeter defender, and as Nori pointed out Monday, he has even already proven capable of doing so in the past with the Wizards. Hopefully this 2026-27 season proves to be the most complete version of Avdija yet.
The downside of that added backcourt playmaking is that Portland's defensive identity takes a major hit. While they do have Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday on the perimeter to cover those limitations, they'll also need Avdija's size and versatility to make this wonky roster formula work.
