Portland Trail Blazers

"I'm not going to be playing 38 minutes per night," Portland's Damian Lillard, 36, says. He felt fine at 20 to 25 minutes in preseason and the guard depth means less load. He plans to play back-to-backs but may sit one somewhere, to stay fresh for the postseason.

With Scoot Henderson's contract decision near, Jrue Holiday says Portland put a lot in his hands: "him making the decision... he's shown out all training camp." Holiday leans on him but won't offer contract advice unasked: "Scoot knows that he can control what he can control."

Jrue Holiday backs Micah Nori's plan to play 10 or 11 deep in shorter stints for Portland: "We have depth, and I think that's something that we should use if we have it. Because we have it." He called last year's defensive rebounding "terrible," a topic raised "every day."

Branden Carlson still has concussion headaches and isn't 100%, Portland coach Micah Nori said, adding Carlson has had one before: "So hopefully he will be okay." Chris Youngblood tweaked his Achilles but practiced a little. Micah Potter is still working back from an illness.

"I think for sure we will go 10 deep. Absolutely." Portland's Micah Nori said Sidy Cissoko and Vit Krejci are probably the 9th and 10th men for now. Nori asks Cissoko to defend "damn near 5 positions"; Krejci stays on the floor through energy, effort and defense.

Yang Hansen can fill in on nights Robert Williams III is out, Portland coach Micah Nori said. He sees Micah Potter as the option when shooting is needed and Branden Carlson as a vertical threat at power forward. On his depth: "It's really a good problem to have."

Jrue Holiday hurt his hand guarding Sacramento. An X-ray found "nothing was broke"; swelling kept him out of Portland's final exhibition. Micah Nori thinks he'll be good for the Phoenix opener. Robert Williams III sat too. Nori: "We really missed them, which is no excuse."

Robert Williams III says he's available for the season and wants to play back-to-backs for Portland; last year's trainer-built plan capped him at two straight games. "Minute-wise, got to be smart, but for sure I want to make that leap." He'll "see if I can get there."

Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan started Portland's last preseason game. Coach Micah Nori called that "probably a pretty good indication" for the Oct. 21 opener vs. Phoenix but didn't commit. Scoot Henderson comes off the bench for "downhill scoring."

"A lot of guys are going 3 stints in one half as opposed to 2," Portland Trail Blazers coach Micah Nori said Oct. 18, describing shorter shifts across his rotation. He said the team also has a lot of different ways to close games.

Yang Hansen played 20 minutes on Oct. 16, and Portland coach Micah Nori said he needs high-level minutes to adjust to NBA speed and length: "Hansen needs to play high-level basketball." Nori took the blame for Al Horford hitting three 3-pointers over Hansen in his first stint.

Damian Lillard is back from a lower-body injury. Portland coach Micah Nori said 13 free throw attempts show his quickness is intact, and "he hurt his lower body, not his upper body. He can still shoot the thing." Nori said the team got through the preseason relatively healthy.

Deni Avdija is taking fewer shots this preseason but making them count. Portland coach Micah Nori said adding Ja Morant, a willing passer, lets Avdija play off the ball more: "maybe not as many shots for Deni, but he's been able to be much more efficient."

Deni Avdija's minutes have moved from two stints to three this season to keep him fresh, Portland Trail Blazers coach Micah Nori said after the game: "we've kind of gone to that 3 stints for him." Avdija has also been challenged to play both ends of the floor, Nori said.

Yang Hansen got an extended run, and Trail Blazers coach Micah Nori is fine with that: "I'm fine with Hansen. I think that he's really competing." Nori called him a passing hub and said he's been challenged to defend in drop coverage, staying back near the rim.

Shaedon Sharpe is out and Micah Nori gave no timeline, saying Portland misses him "immensely." Nori still plans short stints across the roster, leaning on depth: "if we can keep them fresh, that's an advantage to us as other teams play their guys longer stretches."

With a fully healthy roster, Yang Hansen's minutes may come only in spots for Portland. Micah Nori wouldn't commit, pointing to foul trouble for Robert Williams III or Donovan Clingan "and the matchup." The staff wants to build on Hansen's passing.

Toumani Camara said the Trail Blazers "have 2 guys that haven't played in a long time" who are now back and finding their rhythm, and that he and Sidy Cissoko are working out how to play around them. He did not name the two returning players.

Scoot Henderson on who pushes the pace for the Trail Blazers: "Nobody should be trying to sprint the ball up the floor unless... me and Deni get it or Ja." That means Deni Avdija or Ja Morant. Micah Nori wants him to "attack the basket, go to score" first, then hit the open man.

Ja Morant, in his first Portland preseason game and "my first since January pretty much," gave himself "probably a 6.5" and said he was "a little passive." Coaches and Damian Lillard told him to stay aggressive; with so much talent around him, he'd figured he didn't need 30.

"I thought the starters basically just quit at halftime." Micah Nori pulled the Trail Blazers' starters early in the second half, wishing he'd sat them at the break. He praised Micah Potter, Jeremy Sochan and Sidy Cissoko; rotations will change again as he tests combinations.

Ja Morant stripped on a 3-on-1 was Micah Nori's example of the Trail Blazers' turnovers: over-passing, poor spacing, rushing. "We can't turn the ball over," he said, but warned against overreacting to Game 1. He wouldn't commit to starters on the back-to-back: "still to be TBD."

Yang Hansen was the centre of the Trail Blazers' offense in their win. "We played a lot through him as the hub," Micah Nori said postgame. Nori said Yang did exactly what the team needed, including on defense, where he sat back near the rim against pick-and-rolls.

Sidy Cissoko is "literally right there" for a 9th or 10th rotation spot, Portland coach Micah Nori said, and should get plenty of chances. His shooting has gotten "drastically better" since arriving, and Nori sees room to grow: his misses tend to be short, not left or right.

Robert Williams III missed Portland's Fan Fest for a personal family matter, not an injury. "He's all good to go, though," Micah Nori said. "Nothing for him health-wise." Nori said the team went into Fan Fest fully healthy and came out of it the same way.

Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III anchor Portland's defensive plan: Jrue Holiday says the perimeter defenders contain and the two centers protect behind. On offense, he expects attention on Damian Lillard, Ja Morant and Deni Avdija to open shots for him and Williams.

"There isn't much to teach Scoot. Just gotta give him some playing time." Jrue Holiday says his media-day take on Scoot Henderson's defense was no joke: he can guard four positions. Portland will press full court at times with Henderson, Holiday and Toumani Camara.

"Good to see everybody healthy except Shaed. You know, we miss him." Sidy Cissoko says Shaedon Sharpe is the only Trail Blazer not healthy in camp. He's holding back physically in practice so teammates don't get hurt, saving it for the first game against Golden State.

Trail Blazers 1/2 Branden Carlson, new to Portland after two years on a two-way deal with OKC, says he can play power forward or center: "I'm very confident in both positions." Calls himself a floor-stretching pick-and-pop big, with "a little bit of rim protection."

Trail Blazers 2/2 Branden Carlson said belief from Joe and coach Micah Nori made Portland feel right. On his 2017-2019 mission in England he touched a basketball "maybe a dozen times," then threw up in his first workout back at Utah. He doesn't think he'd be here without it.

Scoot Henderson: "I feel like we can win. And anything other than that, I'm gonna feel a little crushed." Deni Avdija on last season's shooting dip: "I shot a lot off the dribble this year. I had a lot of fatigue towards the end of games." He also cited few open looks.

Nori's staff split: Quentin Crawford runs the defense, Jay the offense, and his No. 2 Mike Williams handles late-game and special situations. Scoot Henderson on an extension: "I would love to keep playing in Portland." Nori likens him to Russell Westbrook.

Portland practice: Deni Avdija, who said a back injury held him back last season, wants as many preseason minutes as he can get but to be smart: "We have an 82-game season." Micah Nori sees Scoot Henderson as "more of a combo type guy than just a true point guard."

Micah Nori told Scoot Henderson to simplify: "Just go as fast as you can. Somebody's in front of you, pass it. If they don't, just lay the ball in." Deni Avdija on Ja Morant: "We're not expecting Ja to have the ball 48 minutes." Avdija expects to keep initiating, too.

Splitter sees closing lineups as situational: "super small" or bigger, with Jrue Holiday on the floor and Deni Avdija handling the ball. He'll mix lineups across the four preseason games and sees Branden Carlson and Micah Potter as backups at power forward and center.

Clingan says smaller lineups mean more shot-blocking on him: "I love the challenge." Morant wants returning players aggressive beside him and Lillard, and on the foul emphasis on drivers: "I've looked at every rulebook and I don't think they ever apply to me."

From Portland's media availability: Ja Morant says playing with Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson means he needn't be ball dominant, opening catch-and-shoot 3s and cuts. Donovan Clingan on 3-pointers: "if I'm open and I like the shot, I'm gonna shoot it."