Portland has found a replacement for Tiago Splitter, who left for Chicago, and turned to Minnesota assistant coach Micah Nori. The Blazers had spent much of the summer facing drama around their reluctant owner, who was not willing to pay Splitter after he led the team to the playoffs. Nori is not a household name for the average NBA viewer, but within the league he is widely regarded as one of the most respected coaches who has not yet held a full-time head coaching job.
Nori’s route to the NBA was unusual. In 1988, he was considering becoming a high school physical education teacher when his friend Butch Carter, newly appointed as Toronto’s coach, called and offered him a job with the club. He worked his way up from low-level assistant and scout to assistant coach, stayed there for several more years, then moved to Sacramento in 2013. He later worked in Denver and Detroit, and in 2021 became Minnesota’s top assistant.
Players have repeatedly praised his impact on team chemistry. Nickeil Alexander-Walker said, “A guy like Micah connects the players and the rest of the coaches, and helps that connection grow. He brings a lot of happiness and life to practices.” Fans also dubbed him “the NBA’s Ted Lasso” after he gave witty, unusually candid answers in interviews.
Minnesota coach Chris Finch said they bonded over a shared sense of humor and similar basketball ideas, especially a free-flowing style. Finch quoted Nori’s line, “If the clock is running, so are we.” He also said Nori is exceptional at handling the small details of games, from substitutions and end-of-quarter decisions to maximizing defensive possessions and knowing when to foul. That style, the report notes, could fit Portland’s current roster well. Nori has already served as acting head coach once, in April 2024, when Finch injured his knee after colliding with guard Mike Conley, and then continued leading the team through the rest of that playoff series while Finch used crutches.
