Morant's Hamstring Puts Portland's Offense on Hold

Ja Morant strained his left hamstring and will miss at least a month, the team announced Friday. He's the second guard in Portland's rotation, behind Damian Lillard, and his absence punches a real hole in what had been a promising early-season offensive group.

The timing is lousy. The news out of Portland through the first stretch of the season was genuinely good — the Trail Blazers offense had been one of the better stories going. Morant, Lillard, and Jrue Holiday gave the backcourt real depth and creation, and that's now down to two.

Jrue Holiday moves into a heavier role. He's a capable player and a veteran who can handle the ball, but he's always been more of a complementary piece than a primary engine. The forward group — Deni Avdija leading it — will likely need to pick up some of the slack in terms of generating offense.

A month is a month. Morant has dealt with injuries before, and hamstring strains can linger if they're not managed carefully. Portland will want to be conservative here. The next few weeks will tell us something about how deep this roster actually is.