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.
Pelicans: Willie Green comes from a winning culture
Willie Green is only 39 but already has a title as an assistant coach for the Warriors and could be on his way to winning another one with the Suns.
You won’t find too many coaches his age who have been a part of two title teams, and this experience should be valuable when he is trying to do it again as a head coach.
He’s played with and coached guys like Chris Paul, who is practically a coach himself, so Green has been around some of the sharpest minds in the game and knows how to win.
I also like that he is familiar with the culture of New Orleans after having played there for the 2010-11 season.
He will at least have some understanding of one of the most unique cities in the world and hopefully how to win some of the football-focused fans over to hoops.
Of course, winning will bring the fans, so that part is simple but it’s also good to have a guy who is familiar with the culture after having played in the Big Easy and coached under a former Pels’ head coach in Monty Williams.
Pelicans: Willie Green knows it takes hard work to succeed in the NBA
I think it’s a well-established fact that journeymen players often make the best coaches in the NBA.
Green had to claw his way into the league after going to hometown Detroit Mercy and getting drafted late in the second round.
He was never an All-Star talent but instead had to use hard work and smarts to carve out a role for himself in the NBA, where he had a career for 12 years.
These types of guys were not able to rely on elite athletic ability or size but instead have to learn the game from the inside out, often changing roles as they move to a new team and having to learn a whole new job.
I believe this will give Green a better understanding of the game and how to get the most out of players who aren’t necessarily the superstars of the league. It’s easy to get greatness out of Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram but the Pelicans need a coach who can get the most out of guys like Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kira Lewis Jr. and even Lonzo Ball.
I think Willie Green has the right combination of age, communication skills and winning pedigree to be a great coach in the NBA and if he is the Pelicans’ guy, I think he’ll thrive.