Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Jerami Grant is not an assured Blazers starter anymore. He has been a consistent player for a long while, but he might have lost his spot. With Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara’s rise, it isn’t easy to see Grant in the first five.
Why Jerami Grant’s Trail Blazers Starter Spot Is In Jeopardy
The hype is real for the Portland Trail Blazers, as they look improved ahead of the 2025-26 season. With Chauncey Billups at the helm, they are a fantastic defensive team. With Camara leading the charge as their versatile defender, Portland is a threat to any team.
They ended the 2024-25 season with an established starting lineup that had Camara and Avdija as the forward duo. Camara is one of the league’s best defenders, while Avdija was arguably the Blazers’ best player. That all happened while Grant sat out most of the second half of the season.
Now that everyone is healthy, bar the returning Damian Lillard, Grant should be back in the starting lineup. However, that is no longer that easy to say, because Grant might not be the best option.
Grant Might Not Be The Optimal Blazers Starter Anymore
When the Blazers traded for Grant in 2022, he was the new running mate for Lillard. He had some standout performances for the Detroit Pistons as a number-one option. The former Syracuse Orange became one of the league’s better forwards on both ends of the floor.
Billups loved that two-way ability, which automatically made him the second player in the pecking order behind Lillard. Unfortunately for the Blazers, that did not work out, which led to their franchise cornerstone’s trade request.
Deni Avdija
Jerami Grant pic.twitter.com/1GuZUnzBxX
— NBA Poland (@NBAPolska23) October 19, 2024
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Luckily for Grant, he secured a long-term contract extension before Lillard’s request. Since 2023, Grant has been in and out of the Blazers’ rotation. Mostly, it is because of injury, but it has also been about tanking late into the season.
The 2024-25 season was significant for the Blazers’ forward rotation. The campaign showed that Grant is not the Blazers’ best forward. Avdija, in particular, became one of the team’s top players. Avdija’s rise to near All-Star level turned people’s heads, and it feels like the Blazers will commit to him.
There Is No Guaranteed Blazers Starter Spot
When looking at the Blazers’ roster, talented players are abundant. However, there is no clear-cut starting lineup due to the dynamics under Billups’ system. Most people would think Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson are surefire starters, but that is not the case. Jrue Holiday might be the starter due to his championship experience and elite defense.
Trail Blazers insider Sean Highkin reported that there will be competition for starting spots in training camp. Some people thought that was confirmation that Grant lost his starting role. Highkin cleared that up, and that has led to discourse surrounding the starter spot.
Not at all what I said fyi pic.twitter.com/6iQ5AnzDoc
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) August 5, 2025
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The competition is on for the Trail Blazers, as Billups must choose two out of Avdija, Camara, and Grant. There is also the possibility of starting all three players, but that would hamper both Sharpe and Henderson’s development. The two young players have grown, so benching both is counterproductive.
Holiday will probably be the other guard in the backcourt. That will gradually become Henderson and Sharpe in the long run. Those two guards are still young, so they can keep learning from Lillard and Holiday’s mentorship.
Photo credit: © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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