{
  "id": 4627612,
  "title": "Who is Trail Blazer’s No. 1 Option? NBA Veteran Says It’s Not Ja Morant or Damian Lillard",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/who-is-trail-blazers-no-1-option-nba-veteran-says-its-not-ja-morant",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-31T10:37:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/trail-blazer-no-1-option-103709793.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Portland Trail Blazers currently boast two franchise stars in Ja Morant and Damian Lillard. However, there is a debate over who should be their primary option. Former NBA player Matt Barnes, on the All the Smoke podcast, argues that neither Morant nor Lillard should be the main focal point. Barnes suggests that the real option is Deni Avdija, who has emerged as the team's number one option. Avdija, who became an All-Star this year, averaged a career-high 24.2 points per game during the regular season and 22.2 in the playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. Despite Morant's recent success, Barnes believes that Morant's new lease on life after leaving the Memphis Grizzlies will not make him the primary option. Instead, Barnes thinks Avdija can reclaim his identity and focus on enjoying the game.",
  "summary": "The Portland Trail Blazers now have two franchise stars on their squad—Ja Morant and Damian Lillard. But some see this as a problem. Who’s going to dominate the possession? Whom will the system be centered around? Will it be Ja Morant, who is still at his peak? Or will it be Dame, who has been [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}