According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Portland Trail Blazers have narrowed it down to a group of finalists for their head-coaching vacancy. Among those candidates is Boston Celtics assistant coach Tyler Lashbrook. His competition for Portland's opening includes the franchise's acting bench boss, Tiago Splitter. Micah Nori from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz assistant Mike Williams, and Jeff Van Gundy are also in the running.
Lashbrook has played an instrumental role in the Celtics' stellar track record in player development. That includes working closely with rookie Hugo Gonzalez this season. By the end of the campaign, the former Real Madrid standout had gone from learning how to adapt to a dramatically different playing style than the ACB to Brad Stevens declaring him a critical part of the team moving forward.
"Hugo had a great rookie year, and is, I think, a critical part of us moving forward because his athleticism can meet the moment in the big games," said Stevens. "He's got a bright future."
Hugo Gonzalez praises Tyler Lashbrook for helping him acclimate
Near the end of his first season in the Association, Gonzalez voiced his gratitude for the role Lashbrook and Boston's director of player development, Craig Luschenat, have had in his success.
"They've been with me all the journey, and they've been seeing me evolve and having my ups and downs and everything," he conveyed. "I gotta give a big shoutout to them, because they try to make my life easier and my transition easier from day one. So, I just think that it's a big part of who I am right now as an NBA player."
Lashbrook was the head coach for the Maine Celtics during the 2024-25 campaign before returning to the parent club as an assistant coach last season. It was his first opportunity in that role at any level. He became their first bench boss to win Coach of the Month. Lashbrook guided Maine to a 21-13 record, finishing third in the Eastern Conference.
As for the other finalist for the Trail Blazers' head-coaching job who has ties to Boston: Van Gundy was a senior consultant for the Celtics during the 2023-24 season. That year ended with the franchise capturing Banner 18.
Since then, he has worked as an assistant on Tyronn Lue's coaching staff with the Los Angeles Clippers. Van Gundy has a 430-318 record as an NBA bench boss. That spans 11 years, split between the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets. He was also a top candidate for the Orlando Magic's head-coaching vacancy before that went to San Antonio Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney.
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