The Portland Trail Blazers lost 132-129 to the Utah Jazz, falling to 1-3 in their final preseason game. Given the significance of the result, the more important thing regarding the Blazers is how their players actually performed. From that standpoint, it was an encouraging game, and veteran forward Jerami Grant was surprisingly the focal point.
Grant finished with a game-high 32 points to go along with six rebounds, two steals, and three blocks while shooting an efficient 7-of-16 from the field and 5-of-12 from beyond the arc. Perhaps most importantly, Grant was aggresive throughout the contest, which resulted in connecting on 13-of-14 of his free throw attempts.
Jerami Grant can't overshadow Portland's future with Shaedon Sharpe
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Despite the loss, this game may have made the case for Grant to be a part of Chauney Billups' starting five to begin the season. Billups explained prior to preseason play that he was going to experiment with a different starting unit in each preseason game -- a plan that seemed to have worked up until Toumani Camara's knee injury (although Billups has said Camara would've suited up had this been a regular-season game).
With Camara sidelined for Portland's final two preseason games, Billups has rolled out the same starting five of Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Grant, and Donovan Clingan. Avdija was also sidelined in their final preseason game against the Jazz after being ruled out after halftime due to upper back stiffness.
The combination of Camara and Avdija's unfortunate injuries, as well as a weak opponent in the Jazz -- projected to be the worst team in the Western Conference -- resulted in Grant having an excellent game. Still, the Blazers and their fans have seen Grant's play all throughout last season and this preseason up until this game against Utah.
Grant and Sharpe are trending in two opposite directions at this point in their respective careers. You could make a case for Grant to still be the more impactful player if Portland had to win a single game. However, the Blazers are coming off a 36-win season that literally exceeded their expectations.
General manager Joe Cronin wants Portland to pursue the playoffs and a play-in spot, but seems more focused on the end result of what comes of that pursuit. In other words, the Blazers are a few years away from being considered legitimate contenders. Sharpe presents one of the highest ceilings on their entire roster and has shown signs of reaching that potential this offseason through his positive [training camp reviews](https://ripcityproject.com/training-camp-blazers-finally-found-breakout-star-shaedon-sharpe) and overall preseason play.
Grant was clearly better in their loss to Utah, but there's a reason Portland lost to Utah with Grant as their best player. They must look at the bigger picture here. And from that standpoint, the only obvious decision is to [start Sharpe over Grant](https://ripcityproject.com/chauncey-billups-left-brutal-decision-blazers-loss) to begin the 2025-26 season.