Blazers HC Chauncey Billups Reveals Biggest Issue With Portland Right Now

The Blazers coach let everyone know what the team's biggest issue is.

Dec 30, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups looks on before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers have been struggling with their season so far. Portland sits at just 13th in the Western Conference standings. They sit at just 11-21, which was not what they were looking for. They were hoping to be a team that could lurk and maybe steal a play-in spot.

Injuries have been somewhat of an issue for Portland. They have hardly been able to get Robert Williams III to play at all this season, as he has played just 11 games this season. While he's not a starter, he was expected to be a big rim-protector off the bench.

That lack of defense is what has Chauncey Billups, the Blazers head coach, fed up. He needs his team to play better defense and has identified poor defensive play as one of the biggest issues facing the team right now. “I’m not happy at all with where our defense is at,” Billups said. “The defense was really poor in December.”

The defensive rating for the Blazers has slipped. In the month of December, their defensive rating was 124.4. In the previous 20 games, it was 113.2. That's a massive change for a team that wasn't playing its best basketball at the start of the season, either. The offense was a major issue early. Now, the offense is the problem.

Still, Billups acknowledges that some things have gone well recently for the team, even if everything hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows. “I think we’ve had some really quality wins,” Billups said. “And then we’ve had some games where we’ve had some real stinkers, where it’s been really ugly.”

Portland needs to be able to find some balance moving forward. They don't have a star who can carry them on their back and score a bunch of points. Damian Lillard is now in Milwaukee, and CJ McCollum is in New Orleans. Now, they don't have guys who they can rely on offensively.

The Blazers likely won't get much better on defense in the near future. They are likely going to be to sellers at the trade deadline once that approaches. That will hurt their ability to defend, especially if they end up getting rid of Jerami Grant. He's a rangy wing who can defend on the perimeter.

Portland is in a rebuilding phase. Billups has to try to get the best out of his young guys so they can get better in the future.

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