NBA Insider Urges Blazers to Make Key Tiago Splitter Decision

Oct 31, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Tiago Splitter raises reacts in the closing second of a game against the Denver Nuggets at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

A league insider has pressured the Portland Trail Blazers to make a critical determination on interim head coach Tiago Splitter.

Aaditya Krishnamurthy of NBA Analysis opines that it may already be time for Portland to move on from embattled coach Chauncey Billups, despite the former Hall of Fame point guard having just agreed to a lucrative new contract extension at the start of the 2025 offseason.

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Krishnamurthy advocates for Portland ditching Billups and removing the "interim" tag from Splitter.

Splitter, a former championship backup big man on the 2014 San Antonio Spurs, had been an assistant on Billups' staff before he was elevated unexpectedly in the wake of an FBI indictment on Billups for his alleged role as a lure in mob-controlled poker games.

Given the precarious stakes of Billups' arrest, he could be facing jail time unless he pleads out. The NBA placed him on unpaid leave as he deals with his legal travails. It certainly seems possible that he'll never be employed in the league again.

But in happier news, the Splitter addition has paid immediate dividends — as have team general manager Joe Cronin's trade for six-time All-Defensive Teamer Jrue Holiday and Cronin's decision to buy out temperamental former starting center Deandre Ayton.

An Encouraging Start with Splitter

Krishnamurthy notes that Portland has gone 5-2 in its games with Splitter at the helm (the Trail Blazers lost their lone game under Billups to start the season). Portland's wins haven't arrived against just anybody.

The Trail Blazers handed the 8-1 reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss of the season, while also taking down the 7-2 Los Angeles Lakers, the 5-2 Denver Nuggets and the 5-4 Golden State Warriors.

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"On top of that, he has massively impacted their defense, as the Trail Blazers currently rank 10th among the best defenses in the NBA," Krishnamurthy writes. "In just seven games in charge, Splitter has this Portland Trail Blazers squad looking more competitive than they ever did under Chauncey Billups."

Whether or not the Trail Blazers would have blossomed similarly under Billups, we may never know. The team was certainly trending in the right direction at the end of last season, and the Holiday and Clingan moves would likely have abetted the club with or without Splitter's ascent.

Portland small forward Deni Avdija, meanwhile, is looking like an offensive star. The 6-foot-8 swingman, still just 24, has been averaging 24.4 points on .465/.360/.851 shooting splits, 6.5 boards, 4.5 dimes (against 3.9 turnovers), 0.9 blocks and 0.8 steals per.

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