No more need for him to hold the ball excessively; Ja Morant praises his teammates for always trying to create opportunities for each other.

The Portland Trail Blazers will begin their preseason games next week, continuing their preparations for the 2026/27 NBA regular season. Ja Morant stated in an earlier interview that playing with this group of players has freed him from needing to handle the ball as much as before, and praised his teammates for always striving to create opportunities for each other.

Ja Morant, 27, previously played for the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in June.

When asked about training with his new teammates, Ja Morant shared, "I think each of us has our own strengths and characteristics, which is why we're here. What we need to do is continue to play to our abilities, help each other, put each other in a more comfortable position, and create opportunities for everyone."

“It feels great to play with these teammates. I don’t need to hold the ball as much as I used to. They can create their own opportunities and create opportunities for their teammates, which is a good thing for us.”

Ja Morant said, "As long as Damian Lillard is on the court, the spacing becomes much larger, which is really fun. Everyone knows how good his shot is, but his presence also creates opportunities for others, such as driving and dishing, and the opponent has to come out to help defend."

“We are all choosing a selfless approach, learning about each other’s playing style while trying to be ourselves, which is what it takes to succeed. It’s like unlocking different abilities in my game that allow me to score more easily.”

In addition, Ja Morant said, "We are a team that likes to put pressure on our opponents, so it's a good thing that our defense can speed up the pace of the offense, but we still need to protect the ball and finish the possession with a rebound after every successful defensive play."

“We are a very interesting team, and we get along very well with each other. We are all working in the right direction and have the same goal, which I think is absolutely the most important thing.”

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