Lillard, Stotts Talk Blazers in Zoom Call
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard expects Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins to start when the team plays in Orlando, he told Portland media members on a Zoom call Wednesday. Lillard believes that Carmelo Anthony will slide over to starting small forward to fill in for Trevor Ariza as well.
Head coach Terry Stotts also said that he’s liked what he’s seen from Nurkic:
Despite Nurkic’s physical condition, Stotts said that he hasn’t ruled out playing Nurkic and fellow center Hassan Whiteside together:
The team’s other lingering question sits at the small forward position, with starter Trevor Ariza opting not to join the team in Orlando. Stotts said that Gary Trent Jr. was an option, but he seemed to lean toward sliding Carmelo Anthony (who played small forward in his younger days) up to the 3:
The Trail Blazers resume their chase of a playoff spot in Orlando on July 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies.