Willie Green has spent 4 seasons as the head coach of the Pelicans and has always been viewed as a defensive-minded coach, dating back to his time with the Phoenix Suns. With the Pelicans selecting two guys who don't fit into that defensive culture in Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, as they both excel offensively while struggling defensively.
Suggesting that a potential coaching change may be on the horizon for the Pelicans. With someone as offensive-minded as James Borrego as Green's lead assistant, could he potentially be coming for Green's job?
The answer is 100% yes, after the picks of Fears and Queen and the addition of Jordan Poole, it seems as if Joe Dumars is building this team to be an offensive juggernaut. As much as Green can adjust his coaching style to fit the team, Dumars is building for him. When you have someone held in such high regard around the league for his offensive mind, it's hard not to just go with Borrego.
During his time as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, he had a record of 138-163, which, when looking at the talent level of the personnel he had, is extremely impressive. He spent four years with the Hornets and put together an offense that had the 12th highest offensive rating in the 2018-19 season. Dating back to 2015, when Monty Williams was still the Pelicans' head coach, he had this to say about Borrego while he was being considered for the Orlando Magic's head coaching vacancy.
“He’s got great patience. He’s got a great way about him. Nothing rattles him, and he’s not afraid to speak his mind. He understands the game, and he’s been around so many good basketball minds."
This quote speaks volumes and shows how great of a fit he could be with this group of players. Borrego knows everything about being patient again; he was the coach of some disastrous Hornets teams. Patience is definitely something this Pelicans group will need at the helm next season with their age and lack of experience.
The Pelicans must act quickly
It was reported on June 25th by ESPN's Shams Charania that the New York Knicks had been granted permission to interview Borrego for their head coaching opening. With Borrego's offensive brilliance, it may take just one interview for the Knicks to hire him, so New Orleans may have to make a tough choice to keep their secret weapon.
We've seen a trend in the NBA lately, where teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets have fired their experienced head coaches in favor of hiring one of their assistants who was in high demand. What's to say the Pelicans may not try to do the same?
Borrego, during his time in Charlotte, was very advanced offensively compared to others in that time frame. Prioritizing the three-point shot at all costs was something Borrego helped make popular. If the Pelicans' offense has a great year this season, the chances of him not getting another head coaching gig are very unlikely.
Firing Willie Green may be inevitable, especially with the direction Joe Dumars is taking the Pelicans, so why not get ahead of the curve and promote an offensive genius like Borrego?