Report: Billups to add Roy Rogers to coaching staff to help team defense originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
Chauncey Billups’ Blazers assistant coaching staff seems to be fastly coming together.
The 17-year NBA veteran added former Wizards head coach Scott Brooks as his top lead assistant and is reportedly bringing in Roy Rogers.
Billups and Rogers spent last season on Ty Lue’s staff with the Clippers, and Rogers has a reputation for his knowledge on the defensive side of the ball. Rogers’ acumen on that end will prove to be vital on a Blazers team that’s regressed in defensive efficiency the last few seasons.
During the 2020-’21 season, the Blazers were 29th in defensive efficiency (115.3), 25th in opponent field-goal percentage (47.3%), and 23rd in opponent points (114.3). A bright spot for the Blazers’ defense is they were first in the league in limiting points off turnovers (14.1).
There’s a lot of holes in the Blazers defense that need to be remedied, and Rogers will be the man viewed as the man to fix it all. Such a process takes time, and it begins with the players listening to him.
Rogers’ experience as a coach began in 2008 with the Nets, and he’s had stops with the Celtics, Pistons, Wizards, Rockets, and Bulls prior to being a Clipper.
Similar to his eight-year playing career, he’s a coaching nomad.