After weeks of speculation and fans calling for Pelicans head coach Willie Green to be fired, it happened. Joe Dumars finally pulled the trigger on ending the Willie Green era in New Orleans, and because of that, brighter days may indeed lie ahead for the Pelicans. I previously wrote about how the team's next several games were bound to end Green's tenure, and it only took one.
Firstly, I wanted to say I appreciate Willie Green. While I didn't always agree with the lineups he rolled with or the style he tried to coach this team with, he did have some success during his five seasons with the franchise. Green finishes his time in New Orleans with a record of 150-190 and two playoff appearances. I still think Green is a good basketball mind, but I always felt he lacked the spark you need from a head coach.
Now, with Green out of the spotlight, the spotlight shifts to James Borrego, who has been with the team since 2024 and was named as interim head coach following Green's firing. Green always emphasized defense first — but Borrego is expected to bring a completely different approach.
The Perfect man for the job
When I look at this roster, I see a group that is extremely talented offensively but lacks defensive personnel. So, how do you get the most out of a team with an imbalance like this? By playing fast. And I don't think there is anyone better to get that fast style of play out of this group than Borrego, as it was the way he coached the Hornets during his 4-season tenure as their head coach.
Borrego's going to come in and have the ball moving way more than Green did. We can expect to see more actions designed to get Trey Murphy III the ball, fewer isolation plays, and a greater emphasis on the three-ball. Overall, he's going to bring 21st-century basketball to a team that was still playing like it was in the 90s.
During his time in Charlotte, Borrego had a ton of success coaching with this style. In his first year with the franchise, they ranked as the 11th-best offense in the league. And trust me, go take a look at that roster because there's no world where that team should have been that good.
In general, I think the biggest difference we are about to see is a fun, exciting style of play that fans will find enjoyable, whether the team is winning or losing. Both Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen are building blocks of this franchise and really fit into a style where the team emphasizes speed and ball movement. In my eyes, the decision to promote James Borrego isn't just one for the present, but one for the future.