The Portland Trail Blazers have overcome their early-season injuries and are right in the Western Conference playoff picture with a 20-22 record, just three games behind the Golden State Warriors for the eighth seed. Tiago Splitter has won all 20 of those games, immediately taking over as head coach after the Blazers' opening night loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It seems like a long time ago that the Blazers were in the news for all the wrong reasons, thanks to Chauncey Billups' shocking federal indictments.
Last season, Portland won 36 games, which was viewed as exceeding expectations. It wouldn't have been surprising if they were due for regression this season, especially having such a young roster that lost their head coach just one game into the season under unprecedented circumstances. Add a brutal early-season schedule and seemingly never-ending injuries on top of that, and fighting for a playoff spot in the loaded West suddenly seemed like too much of an uphill battle.
But Splitter deserves a ton of credit for how this team has played.
Tiago Splitter has kept Blazers playoff hopes alive amid chaotic season
It hasn't always been pretty. There have been several games in which late-game execution has been a fatal flaw, particularly when Jrue Holiday has been sidelined, and they've been forced to play without a traditional point guard. Yet here they sit, just two wins away from .500.
The Blazers are currently on pace for a 39-win season. With a roster that's finally getting healthier, potential upgrades at the trade deadline, and an easier strength of schedule, 39 games seems too low. This team has been trending in the right direction, and Splitter is a huge reason why. He's been a polarizing coach for some fans, but he's also never had the opportunity to lead this team at full strength.
Still, a sign of a good coach is finding ways to win and remain competitive with whatever pieces you have. That's been the epitome of Portland's season as they've had to glue together wins with whatever combination of healthy players they could throw out there. The latest example was Holiday finally returning after missing nearly two months, only for Deni Avdija to go down in the same game. That's just been the story of Portland's season.
The Blazers have been forced to face adversity ever since their head coach left literally after the first game. Fortunately, Splitter was there to right the ship.
While we're not ready to say Splitter is the best long-term coaching option for Portland, he's certainly made a compelling case through the first half of the season. And with the Blazers' roster outlook finally improving, he'll get an excellent opportunity to strengthen that case in the second half.