The Trail Blazers have put out a press release officially announcing the assistants who will be part of new head coach Micah Nori’s staff for the 2026/27 season.
The two most notable newcomers were previously reported and have been confirmed today by the team. One is Jay Triano, a longtime NBA assistant who had head coaching stints in Toronto and Phoenix, while the other is Mike Williams, a former Jazz assistant who interviewed for the head coaching vacancy before Portland chose to hire Nori.
Nori’s first job as an NBA assistant coach was as a member of Triano’s staff with the Raptors.
Additionally, the Blazers have carried over a handful of coaches who previously worked under Chauncey Billups and Tiago Splitter. Quinton Crawford will return for a second season as an assistant coach; Gilbert Abraham will also be an assistant under Nori as he enters his third season as the team’s director of player development; and Leron Black, who joined the Blazers last summer as a player development coach, has also been promoted to an assistant position.
Meanwhile, Pooh Jeter – a former teammate of Scoot Henderson with the G League Ignite – will spent a fourth season as a player development coach in Portland, while Jason Luhnow becomes a full-time player development coach after previously serving as the team’s video coordinator and a player development assistant.
Ikenna Smart (video coordinator/player development coach), Ty Vitko (assistant video coordinator), John Townsend (shooting coach), and Jacob Mooallem (analytics coach) are each sticking with the organization under Nori as well, after having been hired in previous seasons.
Perhaps the most notable change announced by the Blazers today affects veteran assistant Nate Bjorkgren, who was a top lieutenant under Billups and Splitter and ran the team’s defense last season. Bjorkgren will be remaining in the organization but will transition to a new role, having earned the title of special assistant to the coaching staff and basketball operations.
Nori will be under some pressure to get the Blazers back to the postseason after the team snapped a four-year playoff drought in 2026. Portland’s new head coach signed a contract that reportedly only includes one guaranteed season, along with multiple team options and incentives based on the club’s performance.
