The Portland Trail Blazers spent last season finding out what Deni Avdija could do with the ball in his hands.
Then they went out and traded for Ja Morant .
That's quite the wrinkle for a player coming off the best season of his career.
Avdija averaged 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists across 66 games last season, starting all 66 and earning the first All-Star selection of his career.
He didn't just prove he could score more.
His 6.7 assists per game represented a career high after he averaged a previous career-best 3.9 the year before, while his offensive responsibilities grew alongside his production.
Now Portland has to figure out how much of that responsibility Avdija should keep.
"Secondary offensive engine" may be the best label for his role entering 2026-27.
And the word "secondary" is doing some pretty important work there.
Portland acquired Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies this summer in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, adding a two-time All-Star point guard to a backcourt that already included Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson.
That's a lot of players who know what to do with the ball.
It's also quite the collection to put around a forward who just spent an entire season proving he deserves to have it.
Taking the ball away from Avdija wouldn't make much sense. Asking him to carry quite as much of Portland's creation burden might not, either.
That's where Micah Nori's balancing act gets interesting.
Morant has spent his career operating with the ball in his hands. Lillard gives Portland another potential source of scoring and playmaking, while Holiday and Henderson offer Nori even more options in the backcourt.
Avdija doesn't need to compete with all of them to become Portland's point guard.
That's never really been the point.
Part of what made Avdija so valuable last season was his ability to create without needing that label. He can grab a rebound and immediately push the ball, attack mismatches off the dribble and create opportunities for teammates.
Portland should still want plenty of that.
It just doesn't need to ask Avdija to do quite as much of it.
And maybe that's where adding Morant actually helps.
Avdija doesn't have to prove he can handle a major offensive role anymore. He just spent an entire season doing it.
Now Portland can pick its spots.
There will be possessions when Morant initiates and Avdija gets to attack a defense that's already moving. There will be opportunities for Avdija to run the offense when Morant isn't on the floor, and nights when his matchup makes putting the ball in his hands even more attractive.
That's why secondary offensive engine feels like a better label than simply calling him Portland's second option.
Being the "second option" suggests a scoring hierarchy that doesn't really capture everything Avdija can offer.
His role should be bigger than counting how many shots he takes compared with Morant.
Portland spent last season finding out Avdija could handle the keys.
Now the Trail Blazers have another All-Star who probably needs his own set.
Avdija doesn't have to hand his back. He just doesn't need to drive everywhere anymore.
