An anonymous NBA scout delivered a brutal assessment of Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant ahead of training camp, calling the former All-Star “physically unfit” while raising concerns about his fit alongside Damian Lillard.
“He's got a bad knee, doesn't really work on his physical fitness, I doubt that he's all of a sudden become an elite-level shooter, and he's small,” the scout told Sports Illustrated's Blake Silverman. “So you have that, you've got a bad defender who's a small guard who can't shoot, who physically is unfit, paired next to a small guard who's a bad defender and who can shoot [in Lillard]. So probably going to be tough.”
The criticism comes as Morant prepares to open training camp next Tuesday with his new team after the Trail Blazers acquired the 27-year-old from the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this offseason.
The scout also questioned Morant's ability to stay on the floor consistently, although he suggested Portland could see more of the guard than Memphis did last season.
“We will probably see a more available Ja. He might play in games,” the scout said.
Availability has become a significant concern for Morant in recent years. The former No. 2 overall pick has never appeared in more than 67 regular-season games in a single campaign, reaching that mark during his rookie season in 2019-20.
Morant appeared in only nine games during the 2023-24 season, although a 25-game suspension contributed to his limited availability. He followed that by playing 50 games in 2024-25 before appearing in just 20 games last season.
PJ Carlesimo offers different assessment of Ja Morant-Damian Lillard pairing
While the anonymous scout questioned whether Morant and Lillard can thrive together, former NBA head coach PJ Carlesimo recently offered a considerably more optimistic assessment of Portland's new backcourt.
Article Continues BelowCarlesimo told Kyle Odegard of NEXTPredict that he believes Lillard's basketball intelligence and willingness to adjust will help the Trail Blazers make the pairing work.
“I don’t think there’s any question,” Carlesimo said. “Not that Ja is not capable of adjusting, but Dame is such a smart player. Dame will figure it out. Dame will do whatever it takes for the two of them to excel. And Dame will go out of his way to make sure Ja gets back to being Ja.
“Dame’s game is so good and he’s so smart. He will do whatever he needs to do to still be Dame, and yet at the same time, there’s no bad ego there with Dame. He will make sure things work out for Ja.”
Carlesimo also expressed hope that Morant can rediscover the form that made him a two-time All-Star early in his career.
“Some people forget, face of the league is what people were saying at that point,” Carlesimo said. “Not a good player, a spectacular player. You loved to watch him play. I just hope he gets back to what he was, or even close, and plays the way Ja Morant can play.”
Morant averaged 26.2 points, 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game during the 2022-23 season, his most recent All-Star campaign.
The contrasting assessments put additional attention on Morant as Portland prepares for training camp. His health, conditioning and ability to coexist with Lillard will be among the primary storylines surrounding the Trail Blazers as they prepare for the 2026-27 season.