New Orleans Pelicans: 3 Qualities to Look for in the Next Head Coach
If the New Orleans Pelicans move on from Gentry, here’s what they should look for.
The New Orleans Pelicans‘ season did not go as planned.
Zion Williamson got hurt. The team started 6-22 and suffered a 13-game losing streak. Zion returned and they had to work him back into the lineup slowly. Then a pandemic hit, the league was shut down and the Pelicans never really returned.
All of this has led to a hot seat for coach Alvin Gentry.
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While I wouldn’t put all the Pelicans’ failures on the coach, he will probably be the fall guy for the disappointing showing in the bubble and failing to get the most out of his team’s immense talent.
This became even more obvious when other young teams like the Spurs and Suns did well in the bubble and had players who improved and grew.
Most of the Pelicans took a step back if anything, and when that happens, coaches tend to get the blame.
Whether that is fair in such a small sample, I don’t know, but Gentry seemed to have lost the team, so it is probably time for a new voice.
If they do decide to go in another direction, here are three qualities the New Orleans Pelicans need to find in their next head coach.
Player Development
The New Orleans Pelicans’ best players are all young. Zion Williamson just turned 20, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball are 22 and backup center Jaxson Hayes is also 20-years-old.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Nicolo Melli and Josh Hart are all still young and have not yet reached their full potential.
The next coach needs to have a solid background in player development, so that these guys can reach their full potential as individuals and as a team.
Gentry and his staff did not do a terrible job in this regard, as Lonzo and Ingram improved considerably, with Ingram likely to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
But Gentry also handled Zion poorly, let players get away with too much and allowed them to develop bad habits.
The Pelicans will have another lottery pick this season and have a chest full of future picks, so whoever they hire needs to be able to squeeze the most out of young talent.
Yes, the Pelicans can add veterans in free agency, but they will only go as far as their young core carries them.
A coach who can develop young talent is a must.