The Portland Trail Blazers are already setting expectations for Ja Morant’s arrival in Rip City.
Portland spotlighted its newest star on Instagram on August 8, announcing that Morant received a 96 driving dunk rating in NBA 2K27, putting him among the game’s top five players in the category.
“Big dunks coming soon,” the Trail Blazers wrote alongside the graphic.
It is a video-game rating, but Portland’s choice of what to promote about Morant is notable. The Trail Blazers made one of the NBA offseason’s biggest swings when they acquired the two-time All-Star from the Memphis Grizzlies, and much of the upside in that gamble depends on Morant again looking like one of basketball’s most explosive guards.
Trail Blazers Put Ja Morant’s Signature Skill Front and Center
There are plenty of ways Portland could have introduced Morant to fans during his first offseason with the franchise.
The Trail Blazers instead leaned directly into the trait that made him a superstar in Memphis: his ability to explode toward and above the rim.
NBA 2K27’s 96 driving dunk rating reinforces that reputation. An independent 2K ratings database also lists Morant with a 96 in that category.
For Portland, the more important issue is whether the real-life version follows.
The Trail Blazers officially acquired Morant on June 29, sending Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis. Morant averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists over 20 games for the Grizzlies during the 2025-26 season, according to NBA.com.
He arrives with considerably more upside than a typical offseason acquisition, but also considerably more uncertainty.
Morant has played only 79 games over the last three seasons, with injuries and suspensions repeatedly interrupting a career that once appeared headed toward perennial All-NBA contention.
That is why “big dunks coming soon” lands as more than routine gaming promotion for Portland.
The Trail Blazers are betting that those kinds of plays are, in fact, coming back.
Ja Morant’s Health Will Matter More Than His 2K27 Rating
Morant’s explosiveness will be one of the most closely watched storylines when Portland begins preparing for the 2026-27 season.
His most recent campaign ended because of a UCL sprain in his left elbow. The Grizzlies announced in March that Morant was progressing after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection but would remain out for the rest of the season. NBA.com continues to list that injury in his player news.
Portland nevertheless saw enough upside to make the trade.
The organization has since prominently featured Morant on its official website, released a welcome mixtape and documented his July visit to the Trail Blazers’ practice facility.
Now the NBA 2K27 post adds another piece to that rollout.
It also points toward what Morant could add to a Portland roster that already includes Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan.
At his best, Morant changes a defense before the possession ever reaches the rim. His speed forces defenders to retreat, his ability to get downhill creates help situations, and his finishing makes conceding the lane especially costly.
A 96 rating in a video game guarantees none of that will return.
But it does capture exactly why Portland made the gamble.
The Trail Blazers did not trade for Morant because they needed another steady guard. They traded for the possibility that one of the NBA’s most dynamic athletes can become that player again.
And Portland is already selling fans on what that version could look like.
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