New Orleans Pelicans add another assistant coach to the staff

The New Orleans Pelicans are adding another assistant coach to Head Coach Willie Green’s staff, as it was announced on Friday that the team would be acquiring the services of (now former) Boston Celtics assistant coach Aaron Miles.

After playing briefly in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors from 2005 to 2006, Miles spent the next decade playing professional basketball overseas. When it was time for him to hang it up, he got a job as an assistant coach for the Kansas Jayhawks in 2015 (under college legend Bill Self).

In 2016, he pivoted over to an assistant role at Florida Gulf Coast. In 2017, he returned to the only NBA organization he had ever known, becoming the head coach of Golden State’s G-League affiliate – the Santa Cruz Warriors. After two seasons of that, he was promoted to the NBA team as a player development coach (the same role lead assistant coach Jarron Collins started with on the Warriors).

Then, in 2021, Miles joined the newly-hired Ime Udoka as an assistant coach on the Celtics. He maintained that position for two years before taking this job with the Pelicans. While it wasn’t explicitly stated, Miles could be replacing Teresa Weatherspoon, who was recently let go by the team last week.

Coaching changes (just like roster changes) are a typical part of the NBA off-season, and this cycle has been no different for Willie Green and his staff. First, there was the thought that the team might lose Collins to the Detroit Pistons. Then, the team added former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego to the mix. After that, Weatherspoon (one of Zion Williamson’s closest associates in the organization) was let go. And now, we have Miles joining the staff. Did you follow all that?

In any event, it will be interesting to see how much of an imprint these new hires (and fires) have on the team scheme/morale next season. Will we see some new sets? What about different rotations? More small ball? These are all things to think about as we get closer to the 2023-24 NBA Season.