The Portland Trail Blazers will receive 11 nationally televised games during the 2026-27 regular season, an increase from the eight national appearances they received last year. That number is completely fair for a team still attempting to earn respect across the NBA.
National attention should never be handed out because a roster looks exciting on paper. Portland now has 11 opportunities to prove that its combination of established stars and young talent can win important games.
Nobody has more to prove on those stages than Ja Morant.
When Morant is healthy and focused, he remains as dangerous of a big-game performer as nearly anyone in basketball. His explosiveness, confidence and personality make him impossible to ignore when everything is working.
Portland also has one of the greatest clutch performers of his generation in Damian Lillard. He may be 36 years old, but there should still be some life remaining in the clutch gene that created countless unforgettable moments in Rip City.
Combining Morant and Lillard creates a fascinating basketball formula. Portland can turn to Morant’s fearless athleticism throughout a game before trusting Lillard’s experience when the pressure becomes greatest.
The national audience needs to see that possibility.
One of the biggest doubts surrounding Portland is whether this roster can win meaningful games against elite competition. The Trail Blazers may possess talent, but nationally televised matchups will reveal whether that talent can remain connected when the pressure rises.
Portland may actually benefit from entering those games as the overlooked underdog.
Morant was at his most dangerous in Memphis when the Grizzlies were a young, hungry team nobody wanted to face. Once Morant publicly expressed confidence about Memphis being “fine in the West,” the Grizzlies shifted from hunters into one of the league’s most heavily scrutinized teams.
Portland gives him an opportunity to become the hunter again.
That mentality also fits the rest of this roster. Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan have all developed without receiving overwhelming national attention.
The Trail Blazers do not need every game placed under a spotlight. They only need enough opportunities to change the conversation.
Eleven national appearances provide exactly that.
If Portland defeats several contenders while Morant and Lillard deliver in crucial moments, the league’s perception could change extremely quickly. The Trail Blazers would no longer be viewed as an entertaining experiment or potential sleeper.
They would become a team nobody wants to face.
Portland has been given the stage. Now, it must earn the respect that comes with owning it.