Blazers Start 6-1 as Nori Tightens Details
The turnover problem that cost Portland the most in the NBA last year is showing early signs of improvement.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Basketball
Portland Trail Blazers fans are seeing a team off to a 6-1 start, the best record in the Western Conference, under new head coach Micah Nori, who took over after the club parted ways with Tiago Splitter. Guard Scoot Henderson credits Nori with bringing attention to the small details the team lacked last year.
Why it matters
The Blazers averaged more than 17 turnovers a game last year, the most in the NBA, so the early-season focus on detail is the kind of change that decides whether a roster of young talent turns into a winning one. Nori's approach is being tested now, and the first seven games are the first real evidence of whether the staff's changes are sticking.
The Blazers are 6-1 and lead the league in scoring at 121.9 points per game, while their turnover ranking has climbed to 14th of 30 after averaging more than 17 giveaways a game last year. Seven games is a small sample, and it is not yet clear whether the drop in turnovers will hold once the schedule toughens.
The players
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland NBA franchise whose new coaching staff is trying to turn a young roster into a consistent winner.
Micah Nori
The new Portland Trail Blazers head coach who replaced Tiago Splitter and emphasizes small details and player positioning.
Scoot Henderson
Portland Trail Blazers guard who has praised Nori's attention to detail and said the team lacked those details last year.
Tiago Splitter
The former Portland Trail Blazers head coach whom the team parted ways with before hiring Micah Nori.
The details
Head coach Tiago Splitter has been replaced by Micah Nori, who has shifted the team's focus toward small details and asked his coaching staff to read Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Henderson said the team lacked those small details last year and that Nori is helping them address it, and Nori is also putting players in positions that play to their strengths.
Timeline
Last year: the Blazers averaged the most turnovers in the NBA, more than 17 per game.
Two weeks into the regular season: the Blazers hold a 6-1 record, the best in the Western Conference.
Beyond the Bridges
Last season's league-worst turnover total was the clearest weakness on a Blazers roster that was otherwise talented, so this early-season ranking is the first sign the problem is being addressed. Portland fans will be comparing this turnover rate against last year's to decide whether the improvement is real.
If you're a Blazers fan in Portland, the early results mean your weekend plans may come down to whether the team keeps its turnover numbers in check and its scoring pace up. Watching the turnover ranking over the next few weeks will tell you whether the new approach is working.
The takeaway
The main thing to keep is that the Blazers' fast start rests on fixing the small things, not just scoring. Watch the turnover ranking in the coming weeks, since it is the number that will show whether Nori's changes last.
Further reading
For more on how the team is shaping up, follow Basketball coverage across the city's pro and college game.
