Chauncey Billups was placed on immediate leave from the Portland Trail Blazers amid shocking federal indictments. As a result, the Blazers promoted assistant Tiago Splitter to the role of interim head coach. After just one game as head coach, it was already apparent that Splitter is a perfect fit for this Blazers roster and team identity.
Portland blew out the Golden State Warriors with a final score of 139-119. Some may point to the fact that the Warriors were playing the second half of a back-to-back, traveling from San Francisco following an overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets. While that certainly was a significant factor in the outcome of this game, it was still apparent that Splitter is the man for the job -- at least for now.
Tiago Splitter is just who Portland needs for the time being
It's way too early to begin speculating who the Blazers' long-term head coach will be, whether it's Billups, Splitter, or someone else entirely. But Portland should feel confident knowing that they have a competent -- and perhaps even better -- coaching alternative in Splitter.
Given the weird aura surrounding the Blazers franchise lately as fans, players, and coaches alike attempt to navigate an unprecedented situation, this game was going to go one of two ways: a blowout in Portland's favor or against. Credit Splitter and the Blazers players for responding well to this adversity.
It wasn't so much that Splitter was substantially different in his approach compared to Billups. It was that Portland's up-and-coming roster finally had momentum under Billups. They had a clear-cut identity established as an athletic and versatile team that prides itself on the defensive end and runs in transition. That was the exact blueprint for this win, as Portland forced 25 turnovers and had almost twice the amount of fastbreak points as Golden State -- a team known for its pace of play.
"That's going to be the identity of this team, and I'm not going to change it," Splitter said. "I'm part of the process of putting this together, and we've been working for two months or more on our identity and how we're going to play this season."
In some ways, Splitter's head coaching presence could provide Portland with the best of both worlds this season. Billups had the team buy into playing a winning brand of basketball, which was one of his strengths as head coach. However, his in-game coaching included questionable decision-making at times, whether it was challenges, rotations, or a general lack of offensive sets. That's where Splitter comes in as someone who can keep Portland's identity on the right track while potentially even providing an upgrade when it comes to in-game coaching adjustments.
Splitter is smart enough to realize that the Blazers have a good thing going as their style of play and roster construction align well. He's building upon an existing infrastructure Billups had in place instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. It's a similar approach Splitter took when he assumed head coaching duties for Paris, building off of the defensive principles current Memphis Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo instilled.
While it's a small sample size of just one game, it appears that's exactly what Portland needs for the time being.