NBA
Portland’s Jerami Grant doesn’t ‘expect’ to come off the bench in 2025-26
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated5 hours ago on September 30, 2025
After a down season in 2024-25, Jerami Grant didn’t anticipate being back in Portland. However, the team has kept the veteran PF on the roster for 2025-26.
Grant played and started 47 games for the Trail Blazers last season. He missed the final 17 games of the season due to a right knee injury. On Monday, September 29, Grant spoke to reporters at Portland’s media day. Jerami Grant was asked if he would come off the bench in the 2025-26 season. He responded and said, “Nah, I don’t really expect that.”
The Trail Blazers have a tough decision to make for their starting lineup
“I don’t really expect that.”
– Jerami Grant on coming off the bench
(Via @highkin ) pic.twitter.com/SAIJ0KjmMv
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 29, 2025
Jerami Grant has played three seasons for the Trail Blazers and has started all 164 games he’s appeared in. During his 2024-25 campaign, Grant’s 47 games were tied for the lowest in his career. Additionally, his 14.4 points per game were his lowest since the 2019-20 season as a member of the Nuggets. After a down season with the Trail Blazers, Jerami Grant was unsure if he’d be back with Portland in 2025-26. He is still owed more than $100 million over the next three seasons.
On Monday, September 29, the Trail Blazers held their media day. Jerami Grant was asked if he would come off the bench in the 2025-26 season. He said, “Nah, I don’t really expect that.” While Grant doesn’t anticipate coming off the bench, there are no guarantees. With the emergence of forward Toumani Camara, Grant could find himself as the odd man out.
Uh so yeah Jerami seems fully checked out lol pic.twitter.com/DOEtyLw3Xa
— 🅵🅾🆁🆃🅷🅴🅵🅰🅽🆂 🎙 (@503Blazerfans) September 29, 2025
Camara was a second-round pick by the Suns in the 2023 NBA draft. However, a trade occurred on draft night, and Camara was sent to the Trail Blazers. The 25-year-old has played each of his first two seasons with Portland. As a rookie, he played in 78 games and made 49 starts. During the 2024-25 season, Toumani Camara started 78 games for the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers also have SF Deni Avdija, who played in 75 games and made 42 starts last season.
If Camara and Avdija are the starting forwards, Jerami Grant could find himself coming off the bench. However, Grant insisted at media day that he would not be a rotational piece for the Trail Blazers. How will head coach Chauncey Billups navigate the starting lineup in 2025-26? Will a veteran like Jerami Grant get the starting nod? Or will a rising star like Toumani Camara take over as their PF of the future?
