Blazers' Ja Morant Is Making Friends Before Making Highlights

Ja Morant came to the Portland Trail Blazers with two All-Star appearances, a reputation for making defenders look helpless and enough baggage to make the Trail Blazers think twice about their summer blockbuster.

A few months later, he's getting rave reviews for talking to the security guard.

It's probably not the first impression most people expected from Morant, whose turbulent final years with the Memphis Grizzlies raised questions that had little to do with his basketball ability. Portland knew what it was getting on the court … or at least what Morant was capable of when healthy.

Everything else was harder to predict.

According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, head coach Micah Nori flew to South Carolina in June to meet Morant over lunch. He asked the former Grizzlies star for the best version of himself, a reasonable request considering how things ended in Memphis.

A few months later, that version is making friends around Portland's practice facility.

"How do you treat people who can do nothing for you?" Nori said.

The coach pointed to Morant's conversations with the night security guard, practice facility manager and chefs. These aren't people who determine playing time, negotiate contracts or draw up plays … and Morant has made a point of getting to know them anyway.

"He integrates himself, he is a people person," Nori said. "A guy who speaks first, says hello first. He has always been in a great mood."

It might seem like a low bar for someone making millions of dollars to play basketball. Being polite to people at work shouldn't require a standing ovation, but considering Morant's history, Portland will happily take a little normalcy.

His past three seasons have been interrupted by injuries, suspensions and friction with Memphis. Morant appeared in just 79 regular-season games during that stretch, turning one of basketball's most electrifying young stars into a question mark.

His preseason debut offered little clarity about how quickly the old Morant might return.

In Wednesday's 123-118 victory over the Golden State Warriors, he recorded eight points, five assists and four turnovers in 19 minutes. He shot 3-of-8 from the field and air-balled a 3-pointer — hardly the performance that would've made headlines during his All-Star years.

There were flashes of his familiar explosiveness, but the rust was hard to miss. Nori attributed some of those struggles to timing, and after playing just 20 games last season, Morant was never going to rediscover his rhythm in one exhibition.

His teammates, meanwhile, seem more interested in what they're seeing away from the court.

"I feel like he has a lot of joy right now," Damian Lillard told The Athletic. "I read people well, you know? And I can tell he is not pretending to be happy, you know?"

Lillard described Morant as engaged during practices, invested in conversations and comfortable with his new surroundings. That's a pretty good review from the veteran who will spend much of the season sharing a backcourt with him.

Of course, Morant hasn't given Portland much reason to stop smiling yet.

The regular season hasn't started. He hasn't endured a prolonged shooting slump or experienced the frustrations that accompanied the end of his Memphis tenure.

Those moments will tell the Blazers more than a pleasant first week of training camp.

Still, Morant has already accomplished something that wasn't guaranteed when Portland acquired him. He's made people inside the organization excited to have him around — without needing to score 30 points or put somebody on a poster.

The basketball can catch up. Portland seems comfortable giving him the opportunity to rediscover his All-Star form without demanding it immediately.

The Blazers traded for a player capable of bringing an entire arena to its feet. So far, he's making an impression on the people who are there long before the doors open.