New Trail Blazers head coach Mika Nori may have a friendly personality, but he holds his players to a high standard and isn’t afraid to let them know if they aren’t following the team’s game plan, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic (free link).
Portland is off to a strong 6-1 start, including a 5-0 record on the road. In the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win at Phoenix, in which the Blazers scored 19 points, the offense Sidi Sissoko went under the screen Miles Bridges even if he had to go over and follow him. Bridges ended up converting a three, which led to a timeout from an angry Nora.
“Here is MikhasSissoko said with a smile after the game.He mentions that first we have to practice … every night we have to set a standard. And I mean, he was right. We have to do our job.”
While Norrie has balked at what he’s received for his team’s impressive performance, his players know he wants them to be as close to perfection as possible on the court, according to Quick.
“The desire to be great is very important, especially for our coach“, Danny Audio said. “We just focus on the small details, making sure we do (them) … because at the end of the day great teams do the small details very, very well. And he puts a lot of emphasis on that, and I think that’s a big step for us.”
Here’s more from the Northwest:
- U another story for The Athletic (free link), Flashes back to the summer phone conversation between Audia and Nora, in which Trail Blazersthe star forward asked his new head coach how the offense would function after the team traded Ja Morant and with Damian Lillard is about to come back from an achilles tear. “I wasn’t thinking negatively– said Audi.But with two dominant, all-star guards joining the team… it raises some questions.” As a quick detail, Norrie told Audia that Morant was a “first point guard” and the attention Lillard received would create lanes for Audia. Nori also came up with a plan to keep Audia involved in the secondary instead of playing so much on the ball, which would allow him to cut down on turnovers and improve offensive efficiency. Early results were promising on both of those fronts, and Audia walked away from that initial conversation feeling “reassured” and “appreciated,” Quick writes.
- The Jazz were hoping to win more games this season after spending the last four years rebuilding, but they’re off to a miserable start, currently holding a 1-7 record after Wednesday’s repeat loss at New Orleans. Head coach Will Hardy believes Utah has the ability to turn the corner, but says the team needs to play more consistently to start picking up wins, for Shreyas Ladda of The Salt Lake Tribune. “Understanding who we play and what each game represents,Hardy said Monday.Execution is required, and sometimes that means doing boring things over and over to create good shots. You know, we can’t get tired of doing simple things. I have a lot of faith in our team and our program. I know the work that goes into it. I can see things on the pitch that have been worked on a lot in practice and we have to be able to sustain that performance for 48 minutes.”
- Speaking to reporters, including Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (Link to video on Twitter) — after Wednesday’s game against Cleveland, the superstar quarterback Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – said the wounded man Thunder learning to adapt to the young players in the lineup. Oklahoma City has snapped a two-game losing streak. “It’s a certain style of offense that needed to be changed a little bit, other games“, – said Giljus-Alexander. “And then defensively, I think guys are figuring out rotations and spots and just playing off each other’s personnel on both ends of the floor. Things like this only come with repetition and experience, and it feels like we get better with it.”