Alex Sarama’s Unique Approach Proves Fruitful for the Portland Fire
The first-year head coach uses CLA to better prepare his players.
Written By: Danny Williams
Twitter: danny_w22
Alex Sarama comes from a unique coaching background. The 31-year-old coach grew up in the United Kingdom, a country not necessarily known for its basketball prowess. So it is only fitting that the head coach’s practice philosophy also comes from a unique background.
Constraint-led approach (CLA) prioritizes uncertainty over repetition. It puts players in the mindset that every shot, play, and possession presents itself differently every time. Instead of practicing the same shot or play over and over with the same parameters, Sarama preaches preparing for real-game scenarios where unexpected variables arise, and his players must be ready for them.
Whether it’s shooting with a different-sized ball or from a different angle, the players adapt to unforeseen conditions that simulate the pressures of a real game atmosphere.
“When you have your shooting routines as a great shooter, it can be hard to come out of that sometimes and then adapt to doing something very different every single practice, and that’s what we’re really trying to do,” Sarama said. “For all our players, the shooting practice is going to be different every single day, and the way I view that, I don’t think it’s anything too radical.”
So far in 2026, the Fire have surpassed expectations, holding the ninth-best record in the league this season at 14-20 on the back of their head-man’s philosophy. However, the strategy only works if the players are bought in, and with just 10 games remaining in the regular season, it appears that the players have taken this strategy in stride.
Sarama first heard of CLA at the Future of Sport Coaching Summit in the United Kingdom eight years ago. At that point, the strategy had only been seen sparingly in sports such as soccer and field hockey – no mention of basketball.
From there, the then 23-year-old rose up the coaching ranks, from youth coach in Belgium and Italy to eventual NBA assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers, perfecting the strategy.