Blazers Guard Impressed Chauncey Billups Despite Blowout Loss to Spurs

Even though the Portland Trail Blazers lost again, Billups was encouraged by one player on his team.

Dec 19, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups reacts to a call during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Chauncey Billups has a tough task as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. The roster is not built to win a lot of games this season. They are still trying to rebuild their roster after trading away Damian Lillard a year ago. Clearly, they still have some work to do.

Portland got beat 114-94 by the San Antonio Spurs, another team that is in the midst of a rebuild. It's clear that they are much further along in their rebuild than the Blazers are. The Spurs still have a chance to make the playoffs this season, while the Trail Blazers are lottery-bound.

Even though his roster isn't very talented, Billups wants to see his players play hard for him. Despite the massive blowout loss, Billups was impressed with one particular player on this roster. That player is Shaedon Sharpe, who was one of the best players on the court for Portland.

Sharp finished the game with 25 points on 11/16 shooting in the game. He is someone that the Trail Blazers are hoping can blossom this season and prove that he is a piece to build around. Billups remarked about his offense while also acknowledging he needed to do better defensively.

“I loved that he was on the attack most of the night,” Billups said. “I thought he had a tough night defensively, though.”

Portland's biggest issue is on the defensive side of the ball. They are small in the backcourt, and they can't start Scoot Henderson because of how poorly he shoots the ball. His offensive game has been so bad to start his career that many are questioning whether or not he's a bust.

Sharpe is someone that the Blazers really like on offense, but he needs to show some improvement on the defensive side of the court. He gets blown by fairly easily at this point in his young career. That's the next step in his development because he can make a lot of shots.

The Trail Blazers need to figure out what direction they are moving in. At this point, their best course of action is to just trade their best assets for young guys and draft capital. Their best hope is to win the Draft Lottery and be able to draft Cooper Flagg this summer.

Portland is one of the teams to watch at the trade deadline to sell off some assets.

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