In April, the Portland Trail Blazers extended general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups. At the time of the extension, Billups emphasized Portland's midseason turnaround, which was catalyzed by their newfound defensive identity.
"I just feel very good about where we're at, and now I understand how long it takes to build a culture. I feel like we've done that," Billups said via ESPN's Shams Charania. "I think the telltale of that, for any coaches, is if at some point when your team kind of takes on your personality and how you believe the game should be played, I think you've gotten there."
Blazers are aligned with Chauncey Billups' defensive vision
It's no surprise that Billups is a defensive-minded head coach -- that was apparent before he even landed a coaching role. You could tell from Billups' success as a player with the Detroit Pistons that this would be his calling card as a coach. Billups won Finals MVP in 2004 despite not even being an All-Star that season, which shows that Detroit was a team that got it done with depth and defense. That's a formula the star-lacking Blazers are attempting to replicate, evident by Billups' extension and Cronin's offseason moves.
Portland swapped Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday, who is a much better fit for the culture, identity, and personality that Billups has referred to. Buying out Deandre Ayton was another move that helped fulfill Billups wish, as it cleared a starting opportunity for defensive anchor Donovan Clingan.
Between Clingan, Toumani Camara, Holiday, Matisse Thybulle, and Robert Williams III (if he can stay healthy), Portland could have more elite defenders on their roster than any team in the NBA. Billups will love having multiple defensive weapons at his disposal. He could elect to start a core four of Holiday, Camara, Deni Avdija, and Clingan, which checks all the boxes on that side of the ball with their athleticism, versatility, perimeter defense, and rim protection.
But, how is this team going to score?!
Camara is continuing to expand his offensive arsenal, but he can't consistently be relied on to generate offense yet. Clingan is another player who drastically benefits from teammates setting him up. The issue is, the Blazers don't have many playmakers who can set these guys up.
Portland just traded away a key scorer and playmaker in Simons, who had the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team last season. Holiday will fill some of that void, but he isn't quite the player he once was, averaging 11.1 points and 3.9 assists last season in Boston.
The silver lining is that Portland's roster construction allows rising stars like Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson to step up in that role. But there will inevitably be growing pains with these young guards in particular, which isn't ideal for a Blazers team looking to end a four-year playoff drought.
Portland has the right vision. They lack the star power to compete in the loaded Western Conference and must compensate for that in other aspects with their defense and depth. Cronin and Billups are also aligned with this vision, as Portland's moves fit the style Billups wants his team to embrace. But they swung the pendulum too far in that direction. The Blazers' roster lacks balance, and their shooting and playmaking concerns will be too much for them to overcome this season.