Trail Blazers Rebuild Coaching Staff for 2026-27 Season

PORTLAND – The Micah Nori era in Portland will not be short on experience, ambition, or fresh ideas. The Trail Blazers have rebuilt the backbone of their basketball operations for the 2026-27 season, surrounding their new head coach with a staff that blends Hall of Fame pedigree, G League grind, and modern analytics.

This is not a light touch-up. It’s a full recalibration.

Triano returns with a lifetime of reps

The headline name is Jay Triano. A 2026 Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame inductee, the veteran coach brings two decades of NBA experience back to Portland, where he previously served as an assistant from 2012-16.

Triano’s résumé stretches across eras and continents. He was the first Canadian-born head coach in NBA history with the Toronto Raptors (2008-11), later taking the reins of the Phoenix Suns (2017-18). He steered the Canadian National Team through two stints (1999-04, 2012-19) and represented his country in three Olympic Games as a player. Last season, he sat on Jason Kidd’s bench in Dallas.

Now he returns to the Pacific Northwest as one of Nori’s lead lieutenants, a coach who has seen almost everything this league can throw at a staff.

From intern to the big chair: Williams’ fast rise

On the opposite end of the experience spectrum, Mike Williams arrives with the momentum of a fast riser.

Williams joins from the Utah Jazz, where he spent three seasons as an assistant (2023-26). Before that, he carved out a reputation in the G League as one of its youngest head coaches, guiding the Washington Wizards’ affiliate, Capital City Go-Go, to a 19-13 record and a postseason semifinal run in 2022-23.

His story loops back to Portland. Williams started in the league as a player development intern with the Trail Blazers, then moved to Washington as a player development assistant from 2018-21. Now he returns with his own bench experience, hardened by the grind of the minor leagues and the demands of an NBA staff.

Crawford, Abraham, Black: continuity with an edge

Quinton Crawford enters his second season in Portland, but his track record already carries weight in coaching circles. Before joining the Blazers, he led the Stockton Kings to the 2025 NBA G League Championship in his first season as head coach. That came after assistant roles with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Lakers, including a spot on the Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship staff.

Gilbert Abraham remains a key figure in the developmental pipeline. He continues as an assistant coach while entering his third season as Director of Player Development. His background blends coaching and performance science: a 2022-23 stint as an assistant with the Austin Spurs in the G League and a role as Director of Performance at Tandem Sports and Entertainment from 2021-23. For a roster leaning on growth, that dual lens matters.

Leron Black is the latest internal promotion. After working last season as a player development coach, he steps up into a full assistant coach role. He spent two seasons with Rip City Remix, the Blazers’ G League affiliate, as an assistant, and two years at the University of Dayton as a graduate assistant (2021-23). Before moving into coaching, Black played professionally in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico from 2018-21. His climb from overseas pro to G League assistant to NBA bench speaks directly to the development ethos Portland is trying to build.

Jeter and Luhnow: player development lifeblood

Player development remains the spine of this organization, and two familiar names will drive that work.

Pooh Jeter enters his fourth season as a Player Development Coach. His presence carries instant credibility in any gym. Jeter played for G League Ignite from 2021-23, serving as a veteran guide for top prospects. His journey also includes a season with the Sacramento Kings (2010-11) and a long international career with stops in Spain, Israel, China, France, Turkey, and Ukraine. In 2024, he was inducted into the University of Portland Athletic Hall of Fame, a local nod to a global career.

Jason Luhnow also moves deeper into the developmental core. Entering his fourth season with the organization, he transitions into a full-time player development coach after splitting duties as video coordinator and player development coach last year. His path is a local one: Lake Oswego High School standout, then a star at Lewis and Clark College. After college, he played for the Woodville Warriors in Australia’s NBL1. Before joining the Blazers in 2022 as a video intern, he coached at Lake Oswego High School at both junior varsity and varsity levels and helped train collegiate and professional players. That mix of local roots, video work, and on-court development gives Nori a coach who understands both the details on film and the work required on the floor.

Ikenna Smart will continue in the hybrid role of video coordinator and player development coach, while Ty Vitko returns for a second season as assistant video coordinator. John Townsend remains the team’s shooting coach, preserving continuity in one of the most specialized and valued roles on any staff.

Bjorkgren shifts, Brocato arrives, and the numbers matter

Nate Bjorkgren, entering his fourth season in Portland, moves into a new position: Special Assistant to the Coaching Staff and Basketball Operations. His résumé includes assistant coaching stops with the Toronto Raptors (2018-20, 2021-23) and a season as head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 2020-21. That experience gives Nori another voice who has sat in the big chair and navigated the pressures of running a team.

The front office also adds a new dimension with the hiring of James Brocato as Director of Basketball Innovation. Brocato spent 12 years with the Dallas Mavericks, most recently as Director of Basketball Analytics, where he helped shape decision-making through data. In Portland, he will again use analytics to support choices across basketball operations and search for competitive edges in roster building, strategy, and player development.

Brocato’s background is as layered as the role suggests. He holds a Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Washington State University, a blend of legal training, behavioral insight, and numerical rigor that fits the modern NBA’s demand for smarter, sharper thinking.

From Hall of Fame-bound veterans to newly promoted assistants, from global playing careers to local high school gyms, the Blazers have built a staff that looks less like a traditional bench and more like a full ecosystem.

Now comes the hard part: turning all that experience, data, and development work into wins.