Portland's rebuild has a new coach and a new co-star point guard this summer, but according to ONE, the man who will make or break Micah Nori's first season on the Trail Blazers bench is still the same one who carried the team through last year's chaos: Deni Avdija.
ONE cites NBA analyst Andrew Carlson, who covers the Minnesota Timberwolves for SI's On SI network, as saying the central question for Portland this season 'is really how big a leap Deni Avdija makes this season, how Ja Morant fits in, and how the roster around them strengthens.' Carlson added that if Nori finds the right rotation and Morant returns to his best form, he could see Portland winning a playoff series.
It is a notable vote of confidence in Avdija specifically, at a moment when Portland's coaching staff, roster and front office have all been rebuilt within the space of a single off-season.
Nori, 52, was formally hired as head coach in late June after five seasons as Minnesota's lead assistant under Chris Finch, a stint that made him one of the most sought-after assistants in the league. He replaces Tiago Splitter, who had been serving as interim coach since October 2025, when Chauncey Billups was arrested as part of an FBI investigation into an illegal gambling operation. Splitter steered Portland to a 42-40 record and the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2021, before the Trail Blazers were eliminated in the first round by San Antonio.
Carlson, per ONE, was unsurprised by Nori's promotion, calling him 'one of the most respected assistant coaches in the league' and pointing to his skill at in-game management as his biggest asset alongside his ability to connect with players.
He was more skeptical, however, about the contract Portland gave him: a deal with only one guaranteed season and club options for two more. Carlson called the structure 'weird,' arguing a single season is not enough time for a first-time head coach to install a system and properly evaluate roster fit. The unusual terms have already drawn public criticism elsewhere in the league - Cleveland's J.B. Bickerstaff called it a 'slap in the face' to the value of NBA coaches.
Ja Morant's arrival adds another variable Nori will have to manage from day one. Memphis traded the 26-year-old point guard to Portland this off-season in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, pairing him in the backcourt with a Trail Blazers team still built around Avdija's playmaking.
Avdija's own trajectory is exactly why the comparison matters. He earned his first NBA All-Star selection in 2025-26, averaging roughly 24.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists a game, and emerged as Portland's most consistent performer through a season disrupted by injuries and the upheaval around Billups' departure.
None of that guarantees anything for the coming season. But ONE's framing, echoing Carlson's assessment, is that Nori inherits a team whose ceiling is largely already defined by an Israeli forward who spent last season proving he could carry it - and whose next step, more than any tactical wrinkle Nori installs, may decide how his tenure in Portland is judged.
