Avdija’s praise and Splitter’s poise highlight 1 concern in Blazers’ coaching search
avdija has become more than a name in the Portland Trail Blazers’ latest postseason run; he is part of the clearest argument for why Tiago Splitter’s voice still matters inside the building. As the team advances through the playoffs, Splitter is trying to keep attention on basketball even while new owner Tom Dundon has been in contact with other coaching candidates. That tension creates a revealing backdrop: Portland’s present is being shaped by an interim coach who has steadied the team, while its future is being discussed elsewhere.
Why avdija matters in Portland’s current moment
The Trail Blazers’ 106-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night in Game 2 evened their first-round playoff series at 1-1, and that result sharpened the focus on Splitter’s role. He was elevated to interim head coach in October after Chauncey Billups was arrested in a sweeping federal investigation into illegal gambling activities. Federal prosecutors accused Billups of allegedly conspiring to rig high-stakes poker games backed by the Mafia. Billups later pleaded not guilty to money laundering and wire fraud charges in November.
Through that turbulence, Splitter guided a team that missed the playoffs last season to a 42-40 record and back into the postseason for the first time since 2021. The football-like language of “momentum” does not quite fit here; what stands out is steadiness. The organization changed course abruptly, yet the interim coach kept the locker room pointed toward the games in front of it.
Splitter’s message: focus, not noise
Splitter has been direct about the clutter around him. Before Tuesday’s game, he said, “I’m just trying to be a pro, ” adding that he is trying to focus on his locker room and staff and “stay and think about basketball. ” He linked that mindset to the same approach he used when he first got the job and “all the stuff that was going on. ”
That same theme carried into his pregame remarks before Portland’s Play-In Tournament victory over the Phoenix Suns, when he warned against spending time on social media or television chatter. “Try to just focus on basketball, ” he said. The message is notable not because it is dramatic, but because it is repetitive. Repetition in a postseason setting often signals a coach trying to protect the room from outside pressure.
That is also why the avdija conversation matters. Deni Avdija said Splitter “got thrown in a difficult situation” and praised him for doing “phenomenal” work, saying he is “getting the best out of everybody. ” Avdija added that Splitter believes in every player, that the team loves playing for him, and that he has the tools to be a great coach. In a season defined by disruption, that kind of internal endorsement carries real weight.
What the ownership shift is testing
Since Dundon completed his acquisition of the team last month, the new ownership has already become part of the story around the bench. Splitter was asked about reported cost-cutting measures, including not allowing two-way players to travel with the team on the road for playoff games, no free T-shirts for fans in Portland, and staffers checking out of hotels early to avoid late fees. The details matter less as isolated anecdotes than as indicators of a tighter operating philosophy taking shape around him.
Splitter has also faced concern behind closed doors about whether early checkout times could hurt his staff’s ability to support the team properly. An unnamed confidant said Splitter worried about how frustration elsewhere in the operation might affect the quality of work around the players. That exchange illustrates the core challenge: a coach can control preparation and tone, but not every condition that shapes a playoff environment.
Avdija, the locker room, and the bigger question
There is another layer here. Dundon has discussed the head-coach position with several college coaches, including Josh Schertz of St. Louis University and Ben McCollum of Iowa. Former NBA championship-winning coach Michael Malone was also contacted before he chose to take the job at North Carolina. Those conversations suggest Portland is not treating the interim label as a placeholder without consequence.
For now, though, the clearest evidence sits inside the locker room and on the floor. avdija’s rise under Splitter has become one of the strongest examples of the coach’s immediate impact, and it comes at a time when the Blazers are trying to extend a postseason return built amid uncertainty. The broader question is not whether Splitter has handled the moment well; the facts already point in that direction. It is whether the organization will value that steadiness enough when it decides what comes next. If the team keeps winning, how much of the future can still be separated from the present?
