3. Don’t hesitate to adapt
This is a little contradictory and hypocritical of me to suggest after pleading for Billups to stick to his guns in the first slide, I know. But that’s the danger of coaching. It really is dependent on the scenario and a good coach is an adaptable one.
Steve Kerr struggled to run his motion-centric offense with the new-look Golden State Warriors last season and he adjusted, opting instead to funnel everything through Stephen Curry. As a result, the Dubs clawed their way into the play-in tournament and Curry put up an incredible, MVP-level campaign.
There will come a time when Chauncey Billups may have to adjust his rotation, offensive game plan, or defensive matchups. It he shows early on that he’s willing to adapt to his opponent, it will be a great sign for the upcoming playoffs. If not, the Blazers will have to pray for the right matchups to come their way.
There were lots of different critiques of former Coach Terry Stotts, but the worst one was his stubbornness and rigidness. He showed a clear lack of creativity against the Denver Nuggets in the Blazers first-round loss these last playoffs and Mike Malone coached circles around him.
Chauncey Billups has been anointed to lead the Blazers into their next era. Avoiding these critical mistakes will be a great way to start.