Micah Nori is in a unique position as a first-year NBA head coach taking over a playoff roster that exceeded expectations last season. That wasn't enough for interim head coach Tiago Splitter to land a more permanent position in Portland, now with the Chicago Bulls.
Still, Nori knows that there were a lot of positive takeaways for this team last year under Splitter, and wants to be sure that the momentum carries over into the 2026-27 season. He made that clear when recently asked about this team's preferred identity and playstyle at Blazers Media Day on Monday.
"What I'd like to do is build on what this group did last year after the All-Star break. I think they were a top three defensive team in the league since the All-Star break," Nori said.
Micah Nori looks to build on Blazers' elite defense
Building off that defensive identity will be challenging. Nori now has to navigate a backcourt with Damian Lillard and Ja Morant, potentially even starting alongside each other if that's the direction he decides to take.
Regardless of what that starting unit looks like for Nori, he did make it clear that Lillard and Morant will share substantial backcourt minutes. This isn't a situation where Nori has to drastically stagger minutes, crediting that to the defensive infrastructure general manager Joe Cronin has built around them.
Perhaps Portland's most significant offseason move will be retaining backup center Robert Williams III on a three-year, $44 million extension.
"And then I thought it was huge - it was a great job by Joe [Cronin] and ownership to bring back Robert Williams III," Nori said. "So now you can protect the paint at that five position with Donovan and Robert if you choose to for 48 minutes, which is huge."
Robert Williams will help cover for Blazers' new backcourt
The Blazers have enough frontcourt depth that they don't, and likely won't, have to rely on Clingan and Williams to play all 48 minutes each night, as Nori mentioned.
They brought in underrated frontcourt additions, including Micah Potter, Jeremy Sochan, and Branden Carlson, who will help keep Clingan and Williams fresh and hopefully healthy for the course of the regular season.
Williams' impact will be felt most in the playoffs, as it was in their first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs. He genuinely outplayed Clingan during that five-game series, essentially leaving Portland's front office no choice but to secure him long-term.
With the way Cronin constructed the roster this summer, and the defensive limitations that come with Lillard's return and Morant's arrival, Williams -- already a strong case for the league's best backup center -- should be even more important for Portland this season.
