Projected Trail Blazers starting lineup and rotation after devastating Shaedon Sharpe injury

The Portland Trail Blazers certainly had... an offseason. What kind of offseason? It's rather difficult to describe. Their new owner continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. He lowballed their new head coach after lowballing their former head coach, plus he keeps stealth-floating the idea of selling the team.

Meanwhile, Portland's major offseason move — after months of Jaylen Brown speculation — was to trade for Ja Morant, essentially swapping one albatross contract (Jerami Grant) for another. Morant joins a backcourt of Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. Shaedon Sharpe was among that group as well, but he will miss six months after suffering a torn meniscus.

Projected Trail Blazers lineup and rotation without Shaedon Sharpe

The consensus belief around Portland seems to be that Jrue Holiday will come off the bench behind a starting backcourt of Ja Morant and Damian Lillard. That feels somewhat absurd, considering we haven't seen Morant or Lillard generate any meaningful resistance on defense in years. Then again, it is new head coach Micah Nori's job to manage all the egos involved with this unwieldy backcourt. No matter how you slice, somebody will be playing less frequently than they "should."

Nori did tell reporters than he thought Morant (or Lillard or Holiday) would accept a bench role if it's what is best for the team. Frankly, benching Morant might be what is best for the team. But it's hard to imagine Portland making such a drastic decision before the regular season. The Morant trade was executed in hopes that Morant can recapture All-Star form. He was still quite effective in 20 appearances last season; it's all about keeping him healthy and available. You could argue that shorter bursts with the second unit would be the ideal method of preservation, but Portland is aiming for something higher.

The next-best idea is probably benching Dame, but with all he has given to the Blazers franchise, it's easy to get caught on ideas of loyalty and seniority. Offensively, Morant's slashing and Dame's shooting is a very fun, potentially very potent combo. They just will not play a lick of defense.

That said: it's fair to wonder how far a cry that is from, say, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland. The Cavs backcourt has a clear size advantage, but the Cavs typically rely on Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley to clean up messes on the back end. Portland's frontcourt — Donovan Clingan, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Robert Williams III — is loaded with quality defenders. There's a nonzero chance a successful balance is struck. It really comes down to if Morant and Lillard are themselves, which is a perilous gamble

At the end of the day: Holiday's defense and consistency should put him in the starting lineup, and Morant feels like a very fun sixth man if he buys in, but methinks that is a midseason adjustment. Clingan and Williams is a rock-solid center rotation, while Deni Avdija's star-power shouldn't dull much with the new additions. Beyond the starters, however, Portland's wing depth is weak, even if Vít Krejči is better than folks realize.

What does this injury mean for Shaedon Sharpe?

Sharpe's six-month recovery timeline means he will probably return sometime around the trade deadline in February. There's a strong chance Portland ends up trading a guard at the deadline to alleviate this logjam, but that probably ends up being Jrue Holiday or Scoot Henderson for value purposes. Sharpe undoubtedly has interested suitors around the league, but Portland should hope to reestablish his value first, then entertain trade conversations next summer.

This season will be year one of Sharpe's four-year, $90 million rookie-scale extension, so he's not at any financial risk. That's a plus. Sharpe is coming off of a productive season, in which he averaged 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists on .452/.337/.787 splits. Meniscus tears aren't the end of the world with modern medicine, but it will be worth monitoring Sharpe's bounce and agility upon his return. The 23-year-old is one of the best pure athletes in the NBA, a real skywalker, so it's natural to be concerned about how quickly he regains confidence in his knee and full range of motion.

Before the injury, Sharpe — who started in 42 of 50 appearances last season — was expected to transition into a bench role. He takes precedent over Scoot Henderson at this point, although Henderson's phenomenal postseason appeared to set him on a new course in his career.

It will be hard enough for Portland to find enough minutes and ball-handling reps for all their guards with Sharpe out of commission. Injuries will invariably factor into Portland's plans, as you can't expect 70-plus games from either Morant or Lillard, but it will be incumbent upon Nori and the coaching staff to quickly reintegrate Sharpe into the league's deepest backcourt six months from now. Finding minutes, and finding creative ways to not compromise their defensive integrity while banking on their most talented players, will be the defining storylines of this Blazers season.

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