The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly zeroing in on their next head coach, Willie Green, current assistant for the Phoenix Suns.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN announced that Green has emerged as the frontrunner:
Phoenix Suns assistant Willie Green has emerged as the strong frontrunner and the New Orleans Pelicans’ choice to become the franchise’s next head coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2021
It is reportedly down to Green and Charles Lee, who is an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks.
I think both Lee and Green would be fantastic choices, but am the first to admit that like most fans, I know very little about them as coaches. I think it is hilarious how fans who had never even heard of these guys three weeks ago are suddenly experts on who is and who isn’t a “championship” level coach.
Every coach that has ever won a title on any level had to get their first job, so the annual coaching evaluation from Joe Schmo on Twitter is one of my least favorite parts of the offseason.
While I admittedly don’t know a ton about Green as a coach, I do think there are some compelling reasons why he’ll be good at the job.
Pelicans: Willie Green is young and known for communication
Willie Green is only 39-years-old, so he’s not some grumpy old man who won’t be able to relate to the Pelicans’ very young roster.
He is also known as a communicator, something that Stan Van Gundy struggled with, so should be able to immediately get the attention of his team without alienating them. With a team being led by a guy who is only recently allowed to buy beer in Zion Williamson, the Pels needed to go with a younger option who can relate to this particular team.
Green has a nice mix of young and veteran players in Phoenix and the players rave about his communicative style of coaching. Green has worked under Steve Kerr and Monty Williams, both guys who are known as “players” coaches who know how to get the most out of their guys.