Chauncey Billups wants to build his team on defense, and he and the Portland Trail Blazers are putting their money where their mouths are.
Billups, the head coach, knows what a championship team looks like, having been an NBA Finals MVP for the world champion Detroit Pistons in 2004. And he’s very familiar with the concept of stopping people, having been named twice to the NBA All-Defensive team.
He’s going to be around for a while too, having signed a contract extension in April.
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Under 34.5 Wins -130
Over 34.5 Wins -110
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The defensive approach worked in the season’s second half
Quietly, the Blazers have been stockpiling young talent, and they are guys who come with an edge. There was a special emphasis on defense in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, and they got some results out of it.
Portland was 23-18 during the second half of the schedule, and they were among the top five NBA teams on the defensive end. They finished in 12th place in the West, but were only three games out of the play-in phase.
This is a very good place to springboard from.
The West is uber-competitive, so if the Blazers are going to make that jump into a playoff spot, they’re going to have to pick up where they left off.
The rationale behind bringing Holiday aboard should make sense
Observers and critics scratched their heads over two of the Blazers’ off-season moves.
One of them was relatively explainable, as they signed franchise legend Damian Lillard to a three-year, $42 million contract to return, with an eye toward next season, as he will likely not be available due to a torn Achilles.
Another transaction, which brought Jrue Holiday to the Pacific Northwest in exchange for Anfernee Simons, produced some scratched heads. After all, Simons is a young guard who is a 20 point-per-game scorer, while Holiday is a 35-year old who doesn’t have too many years left.
For most NBA fans, who look at things in “fantasy team” mode, that was a bad deal.
But what they don’t catch on with is that for a team that is establishing itself with a defensive culture, Holiday, a six-time All-Defensive Team selection with a reputation for being a great teammate and leader, is an invaluable addition, no matter how much he plays. Meanwhile, Simons is widely known as a defensive liability, and the Blazers have more than their share of offensive-minded guards, like Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson.
Also, center DeAndre Ayton, once the #1 pick in the NBA Draft, was released. Although he posted good scoring and rebounding numbers, his behavior was erratic and he was a lazy defender.
Blazers have the people to make it happen
When you go up and down the roster, you’ll find a number of Blazers who could be defensive stalwarts:
Toumani Camara, a 6-7 forward from Belgium (and also this reporter’s high school alma mater), is notorious for his defensive intensity, and was named second team NBA All-Defensive last season.
Swingman Matisse Thybulle is an absolute menace; he was national defensive player of the year in college and has been a two-time second team selection on the NBA All-Defensive team.
Robert Williams III has played only 26 games the last two seasons, but if his knee would allow, he could be a tough big man off the bench. Williams made the All-Defensive team when he was with the Celtics.
Donovan Clingan, who was a dominant shotblocker for UConn’s national champions, swatted away 1.6 per game in 20 minutes as a rookie, and will give them a rim-protector for however long he’s in the game.
Portland may have found a diamond in the rough with first-round pick Yang Hansen, a 7-1 center who was Defensive Player of the Year in the Chinese Basketball Association, where he was the league leader in blocked shots.
These players will provide some of the components that will make the Trail Blazers very competitive this season. I’m bullish on their chances to get to the playoffs. So we’re going with…..
OVER 34.5 REGULAR SEASON WINS (-110)
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