The People's Insider Jake Fischer just dropped some important intel surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans head coaching search.
Fischer noted that both Nets assistant Steve Hetzel and Bucks assistant Darvin Ham made strong impressions on people in the Pelicans organization during their discussions. Fischer also highlighted former Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, saying he remains a potential hire, but there is still a ton of uncertainty on both sides. The last thing mentioned in this report regarding New Orleans' coaching search was that the Pelicans are unlikely to have a chance to land Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney.
Although most fans' immediate takeaway from this report is that it appears likely that former Pelicans guard Rajon Rondo is out of the running for this opening, the Sweeney situation is just as interesting. For some time now, Sweeney has been listed as a strong candidate not just for the Pelicans job but for several openings around the league. With him being one of the most respected assistants in the entire league, from the outside, this may look like a missed opportunity for New Orleans, but in reality, it’s the opposite.
Missing out on Sweeney is for the best
Sweeney is a brilliant basketball mind with 15 years of experience in NBA coaching circles, starting as a video coordinator for the then-New Jersey Nets in 2011. Sweeney spent a large portion of his career with Jason Kidd during stops with the Nets, Bucks, and, most notably, the Mavericks. During his four seasons in Dallas, Sweeney really established himself as a high-level assistant. In 2024, when the Mavs made the NBA finals, they carried the playoffs' fifth-best defensive rating, and Sweeney played a massive role in that, while Kidd's focus was mostly on maximizing the offense.
Throughout his entire NBA journey, Sweeney has been known as a defensive specialist, and that's why him being out of the running for the Pelicans' opening is for the best.
When you look at the Pelicans' roster aside from Micah Peavy and Herb Jones, the team doesn't have any other high-level stoppers. Sure, Yves Missi has shown potential as a rim protector, but as an overall defender, he is a ways away from being elite. Hiring Sweeney would've been a poor fit for both sides, as neither would've been able to maximize the other's biggest strength.
With scoring talents like Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Saddiq Bey, the Pelicans need someone who is going to think about offense first and defense second. They also need someone who can develop young talent. While Sweeney played a role in developing Dereck Lively II, having a defense-first player tasked with molding a player like Derik Queen sounds like a disaster.
There's no doubt in my mind that Sean Sweeney will be a successful NBA head coach. With New Orleans' front office coming close to concluding their head coaching search, scratching his name off the list for candidates like Darvin Ham and Steve Hetzel is in the team's best interest.
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