Chauncey Billups Reveals Where Blazers Need to Be Better Despite Win Over Magic

Portland has been playing some really good basketball recently. Despite that, Chauncey Billups needs to see his team improve in one area.

Jan 28, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups gives direction to his team during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

One of the surprising teams in the NBA right now is the Portland Trail Blazers. They have won six of their last seven games, with their only loss coming to the Thunder, who are the best team in the NBA.

Despite the solid play as of late, the Blazers are still just 13th in the Western Conference. They are a whopping 6.5 games behind the tenth spot, which is the final play-in spot.

Because they are so far behind in the standings, they are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline. They have more than a few guys that other teams have been making calls on.

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Despite the rumors swirling around a lot of their players, Chauncey Billups has been able to get some good play from his guys. He has kept them motivated.

Even though the Trail Blazers just took down the Orlando Magic, Billups still thinks his team needs to improve in one major area of the game. That is rebounding.

Billups was pretty succinct with the issues that his team is having grabbing some rebounds.

“We just knew we needed to do a better job of rebounding,” Billups said.

Portland is trying to figure out who their core is going to be moving forward. Billups is having to adjust the lineup daily because of injuries, too.

All of that is not conducive to being a good rebounding team. He wants to see more effort from his guys on the glass. That would give them more opportunities to get out in transition and also stop second-chance points.

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The Trail Blazers are still a mostly young team. It's hard to get young teams to focus on the little things, like boxing out.

Still, Deandre Ayton is on the team. His rebounding numbers are down this season despite the fact that he is a former number-one overall pick.

Time will tell what the Blazers' ultimate plan is. The trade deadline is just under a week from now. That's when they will reveal who they see as part of their future for the next few years.

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For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.