The Trail: Season 2, Chapter 5: Full Court Press | Portland Trail Blazers Docuseries

The Trail: Season 2, Chapter 5: Full Court Press | Portland Trail Blazers Docuseries

Anything can happen but I just believe with the young Talent they have right now there’s a good young core here that could develop into a really good team pretty soon got another s the kitchen remodel project the product is what’s behind me shark the with a two we’re

Going to compete and we’re going to be Uber prepared for whatever our opponent brings at us it’s about Foundation it’s about building a structure that won’t be knocked over that can stand for a long time that can take this organization to the heights we all want to see you

Go there have been guys who have stepped to the Forefront they’ve shown they’re ready to find their footing obviously if you want to get on the court you need to play defense and I think that’s something we’ve seen from this team this season year one for me is learning and

I’m loving every part of it we’ve taken huge steps to putting the Trailblazers on the right path you got a lot of guys here that are wanting to prove who they can be in the league and we’re going to do it Together as far as changes in the year three under Chanty Billups I’ve covered a lot of different teams and this is a bizarre situation because you’re looking at a team that only has one player since Chancey took over think four since training camp 2022 so he’s trying to

Piece things together with new faces and when you’re doing that you have to try to establish an identity a culture first then you start seeing the winds pile up welcome in a Snowy Evening here atot Center in Portland here is Simons for the win drives into the lane running right

Because you’re playing the way the coach wants to play You’re all on the same page and then you start weeding out some of those mistakes and boom you start winning ball games great job you see evidence of the trying to be more uptempo trying to push which is

Something they want scoop to do that as well Shan is trying to put together a team that plays hard plays fast and doesn’t quit we know what we had to do we had to keep the pace up we had to get some stops and definitely had to step up

Be a little bit more aggressive tonight by the way that they play and as hard as y’all play I’m give you a little break we meet at the [Applause] plane one of their big things over the last couple seasons and heck you probably even said the last decade is a

Great offensive team but one that just doesn’t get it done on the defensive end of the NBA it’s an offensive League these days so teams that can actually defend are somewhat at a premium because there’s a lot of guys that can put the ball in the bucket but there’s not a lot

Of guys out there who make defense their Hallmark and I think we’re seeing under chony bips that this team is making strides and really emphasizing the importance on the defensive ENT and under Joe Cronin really a team that is putting more emphasis on that side of the ball and having some early success

With that this season the first thing that jumps out at me is how the guys pick up full court to defend and they love doing it it’d be one thing if it was just the coach prodding them to go over there and up the anti defensively

But these guys are wired that way come baby go go tumani Kamar wants to pick up the length of the floor scoot Henderson wants to get after the people defensively Shaden shark wants to slide his feet the length of the floor against the opponent’s best guard it’s been fun

To watch how all those pieces and Concepts have jailed together the chany it’s about hanging your hat on the defensive end and then using that defense to fuel their offense Blazers for the second time in 24 hours have the ball with under three seconds to go in a

One possession game for every game there’s prep whatever the situation may be it’s our responsibility as a staff my responsibility as a defensive coordinator to know how to prepare for it let’s go let’s go so our guys are confident going into a game the Rockets are going to bring in ban

Marovic to defend the inbound pass from Malcolm Brogden Blazers taking a lot of time to get the ball in inbound to Grant desperation three for the time he ped it in game I thought we packed nearly a whole season into the first two months of the way things came

Down with the injuries and people trying to replace them and rookies trying to slot them in it’s over it’s a Rip City winner the Blazers take down the Rockets 13731 there’s been so much flux with our roster we barely tipped the edge of the iceberg you know we we still have to

Figure out you who’s going to be consistent who’s our best defender who’s our late game lineup you knew they was going to play physical they tried they did what they had to do great job man to hang in there let’s go I am happy with

Where we are I think as a staff we’re happy with where we are I think the players are happy because there’s a constant growth there’s a constant accountability there where we just going to continue to stack bricks on top of bricks and good days on good day so uh I

Think we’re we’re happy with where we [Applause] are being Innovative you know a lot of that depends on the Personnel you have and I think the the coaching an excellent job to recognize the strength of their talent and and use them where necessary he don’t know what’s going on

He got his back to you all right so you wait with ma thall coming off the bench patience welcome a rooll anywhere on the ball Club where he can help you ask any coach it’s great to have options and I think that they’ve actually created some options just by recognizing the kind of

Talent they’ve had on the Floor oh there’s his tip of a steel here’s Thal in the open court and he L it in bati doing what he does best so much of Team defense is communication being able to have that communication verbally I think opens up channels for the non-verbal reads to be made more

Easily as someone who goes a little bit off script it it’s not something that can always be said or communicated with words but you just have to be able to read it but when you have those channels open of that consistent talking watch low watch low you’re low man you’re low

Man mine M mine mine mine mine mine take ball take ball take ball you open up this space where these six sents come into play where you can then just feel when a player’s going to do something he throws it right to th up the floor play

It in being a defensive playmaker and when we’re at our best is when I think that’s happening the most I mean it’s always scary even though I go Off Script and I find success it’s always scary that I’m going to make the wrong choice and I think

That over my career I’ve made enough mistakes to kind of hone in on when and where to to ad lib and call some audibles and having the freedom and the trust from my coaching SE T th you get a guy that’s deflecting balls stealing balls blocking shots blocking

Three-point shots in the league he’s top five in all those those categories you know his steals to turnover ratio EX one I mean for any type of defensive Accolade or accomplishment or streak the thing that it always comes back to for me is effort playing hard I’ve I’ve read

So many things about luck and different there’s different types of luck and there’s this aspect of luck found through hustle or through motion open it as a defensive player you’re reacting so there’s it’s it’s very hard to create those opportunities because it’s always in reaction to something somebody else

And what their decision making is and through effort and hustle you give yourself a better chance to take advantage of the moment ever presents itself so for I guess 27 games I was able to do It it’s fun playing with such a young group of guys cuz there’s this eagerness of trying to prove yourself and also this aspect of just being wet behind the ears and trying to learn as much as you can and being one of the few players on

This team with over just a couple years in this league I found myself in a role to impose some of my wisdom on these younger guys and it’s been fun to just see how how much I’ve actually learned over my couple years in the league and

Then how much of a difference it can make to be able to pass that knowledge down to these guys who are having the first few years themselves Walker stands him up bad pass grab out of hand to the one two to the cup eases it up and two

Hand nice and easy I think a point of emphasis for us has been just the energy that we give off the bench and support or the cheering for your teammates I think across the league especially with older teams like guys are not as happy for their teammates as I think we are

For each other and you can see it when you look at the bench and someone takes a charge and you’ve got every player and every coach on their feet cheering them on and that kind of chemistry I think does a does a lot for young players than just teams in general in the League I think this season has shown me a little bit clearer picture of who I am having seen many ups and downs in a short career and now a few different locker rooms I think this year has really just shown me the the I’ve proven to myself over

Time my resiliency and and through that I’ve been able to find more Poise and how I navigate adversity or new scenarios that may have not experienced before my dad always said laughter is key and I’ve really found it to ring true especially when the season starts

To feel like a grind like you don’t get anything more out of feeling bad for yourself and the more ways you can find Opportunities to laugh and with more people like the better you’re going to feel the better people around you’re going to feel and the better the

Situation you’re in is going to feel and so for me that’s just been a huge priority is just finding ways to ultimately have fun cuz at the end of the day I have this really cool job where I get to play basketball the game that i’

Lov since I was a kid so trying to remind myself of that in in each moment just find the things that make me Smile the generous will always Prosper he who refreshes others shall be refreshed so when I come into the room I always want to refresh people so I can continue to be refreshed my energy is who I am we get one day I want to continue to to bring out the bad side of

People one thing I love is people are bringing that energy back to me I had idea with with coach chy and I said man when when we come into the building like man let’s start off with some love we start practice with some you know what we

Doing and what we doing is man we what we doing is showing love Hello everybody I’m p jedar uh play development coach for the Portland Trailblazers but also assistant GM of the Rip City remix remix there we go talk to him talk to him the G league is all about development not just players but the whole staff throw it up like you’re sick

Oh okay Mar I just retired in June from playing basketball if y’all don’t know I’ve been playing pro basketball for 17 years been screen by m gets the switch pull up hand in his face it doesn’t I just transitioned into the side of of coaching and doing front office in June

So the beauty part of of my role is in the coaches meetings but I’m also in the front office meetings my I love you know being around you know our GM Joe Cronin and you our assistant GM just being with them watching games learning that part doing reports

Scouting reports or on the basketball side now I have to you know learn how to edit films so this whole year one for me is learning and I’m loving every part of it [Applause] oh get here maray okay [Applause] maray look around look around you’re there between the

Leg all the way up look around look around yeah come on how your angle feel my role is to be like a messenger servant now play development you know a lot of times people think it is basketball but it is like really just trying to bring out the best out of each

Player right it’s within cuz a lot of the times um it’s not always like I said it’s not always about Basketball I talk to like everybody on the team but of course the focus that I have as a player to vment coaches with scoot Henderson I never forget our first practice with the g- league ignite the stuff that he was doing his leader ship

At the you know at 17 like like mind you he’s supposed to be a senior in high school you know so um that’s when I knew I was like oh yeah this is this you know this kid is going to be real [Applause] special the beauty of of scoot is how humble he Is character is always the first step right Tim MI you know in my order as character than basketball you know the beginning you know is been about growth and experiencing cuz that October and November like you know it was it was hard for me to

See but at the same time I loved every part of it because he was able to you know go through things but then he got injured and he was able to watch and that’s part of development too you know that people don’t really like look at it like

That he has the power and strength and speed to do whatever he Wants wow want it over time and you know it’s it’s going to continue to come like I said it’s all about what scoop wants to do we can’t force him to you know drink the water you know he has to be able to do it on his own you know and

And on God’s timing scho is going to be uh face of this league for Sure hey you see that last one when he was Whiting him when it was so high up dribble off of that when you try to when you try to force it in there keep your a dribble I think P just brings a whole bunch to to

The table I think we’re just kind of compatible honestly I’m more on the uh quiet side when it when it’s time to you know I’ll speak up but I think P was just always talkative you know and that just brings that energy out of me you know they always just talking

About being a leader and making my voice be heard so I think P just compliments That in describing scoots game you can’t really put it into to one or two words the super electric fun as hell to watch fun as hell to coach fun as hell to be around but also you can see him when he’s thinking and when he’s trying to be

Really good in that moment it kind of gives you this like Pauls here scoot the other way impactful he’s such a physical specimen 63 he’s got big hands good handle of the basketball and creatively makes some very nice passes oh right off the Jump beautiful there’s a true

Authentic confidence that he has that you either have it or you don’t feeling that three yes Co got comfortable out there Lamar I think the biggest Learning lesson for this season for me is you know what I’ve been doing and that’s controlling what I can control going in

There and know just doing my best I’m not not taking it for granted going in there and giving it my all on both ends of the floor let’s go let’s go get some stops real quick let’s get some stops let’s get some stops even though there might

Be one bad game or two bad games there’s not going to be a bad season there’s not going to be a bad career I feel like scoot takes that approach coach with a lot of things uh there’s nobody harder on him than himself and he’s been able

To deal with that internally in a way that is extremely impressive come on come on J I’m coming you know whether it’s a good night or bad night you know just making sure I’m moving on to the next play um having a next play mentality having a next game mentality

Cuz we got 82 of these things that more than anything his mind is what gives me the confidence that he’s going to be everything that he wants to be in this league uh I’ve built my mind to be this way and to be mentally St to to be able

To bounce back up I’ve been through hardship I think he’s got like this this fiend personality of like when it goes in he wants more and more and more once the game continues to slow down for him he’s going to be so Good down to 5 seconds left the Blazers putting the finishing touches on the victory over the Sixers it’s a RI City win play the right way Shing the ball help each each other what happens all right I’m just proud of our guys tomorrow what I would say is great

Players make coaches look good they’re really growing at a fast pace because Chanty is instilling the confidence in them to say you might not be perfect every single night but if you play the right way if you work hard on a night to night basis you are going to see the results of

That Portland on the rebuild right now are coming off their largest win of the season but for Damen Lillard it’s a story line of team against student tonight and we’re underway wow the precocious and poised rookie and he ends the quarter with 11 points he’s a guy who’s had an up and

Down year who’s really starting to come into his own Blazers leading by three just under way here in the second quarter and I love what johy willips told us about scoot he’s like I just need to keep him confident he is a downhill guy with the top finish with

Contact flex and sco and how he’s built nothing doesn’t phas on like okay we got to we got to tr Blazer and off the turnover Here Comes Henderson the rookie lighting up the Portland Knight I like those Russell Westbrook comparisons cuz he is mean down the lane it was just fun

To compete that just gave me time to go out there and be myself honestly when you talk about building culture learning how to make the right plays whether shots go in or not boy everything C the bucket that time for the Blazer that’s getting better that’s

Grow and that’s the end of the third quarter of play Simon inside boy he thread the needle here this is just excellent helps side defense three-point Portland lead Dave Lillard makes it a one-point game and Milwaukee miraculously out in front There Is No Fear Factor whatsoever by the Blazers

Simons steps through got it big time bucket by Anthony Simons and that’s it game over the Blazer squiring Dame Lillard’s homecoming to Portland it was a fun game it’s a lot of meaning it’s a lot of emotion we want to win the game but I respected it I just didn’t

Think the moment was too big for our team play together we continue to get better just playing for each other most importantly we got our look [Applause] back Let’s Go

Defensive intensity, Matisse thievery, Scoot’s rising star and besting the Bucks.

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