The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the most favorable headlines at the start of the 2026-27 NBA season. The arrival of Micah Nori on the Oregon bench stirred a few doubts after a strong run with Tiago Splitter, but the newcomer has promptly erased them by guiding his team to become one of the league’s best outfits.
Although the sample is still small, the 6-1 record that places the Blazers at the top of the Western Conference makes it clear that they are doing many things right, even with Ja Morant sidelined by injury.
The Oregon squad is very balanced, ranking 12th in offensive rating and 13th in defensive rating. Moreover, they are enjoying the stellar return of a Damian Lillard who, at 36, seems amazing for having been out for 18 months. Who is the main person responsible for this?
To answer that, we pause to listen to the locker room. Deni Avdija, one of the best players on the roster, makes it clear that it is the coach, Micah Nori, who is driving this level of play by being meticulous to the extreme about making sure everything is carried out on the court.
“The pursuit of excellence is fundamental, especially for our coach. It’s about staying focused on the small details and making sure they are carried out… because, ultimately, great teams execute those small details to perfection. He emphasizes that a lot, and I think that represents a major step for us,” the forward says in remarks collected by Jason Quick for The Athletic.
The Timeout That Explains Who Micah Nori Is
A Deni Avdija isn’t far off, and a prime example is the game Portland recently played against the Phoenix Suns. Up by 19 points and already into the fourth quarter, Sidy Cissoko slipped behind a screen on Miles Bridges even though he should have gone over and stayed attached to him. Bridges knocked down a three, and an irritated Nori called a timeout.
“That’s Micah. He insists that we first focus on ourselves… that we have to set the standard every night. And well, he was right. We have to do our jobs,” he states.
