New Orleans Pelicans add Greg Monroe to coaching staff

The 2024 NBA offseason may be drawing to a close, but the New Orleans Pelicans are taking advantage of the remaining dog days to round out their coaching staff. Shortly after Jodie Meeks announced that he'll be joining Head Coach Willie Green's bench as an assistant coach, the Pelicans have added another former NBA veteran to their sideline.

New Orleans will have another 10-year professional to share his wisdom after hiring Greg Monroe. The announcement of his hiring came concurrent with his official retirement from the free agency pool, marking the end of one era and the beginning of a new adventure for the former Georgetown Hoya.

The Pelicans will be heading into next season with massive question marks surrounding their center rotation, featuring a career backup in German veteran Daniel Theis, a one-and-done rookie out of Baylor in Yves Missi, and a former second-round pick turned free agent signing in Karlo Matkovic. New Orleans and Coach Green will be hoping that Greg Monroe's (literally) massive presence will be able to instill a level of professionalism and effectiveness beyond expectations for this center group, as Monroe was specifically named to the developmental staff.

What can Coach Greg Monroe bring to the table for the New Orleans Pelicans?

Greg Monroe built a decade-long NBA career around an unorthodox skillset. Playing during the 2010s — a transition period for the league that saw offenses shifting away from back-to-the-basket big men like Monroe towards a pace-and-space mentality that complemented athletic and agile centers — he was able to showcase his ability to go against the grain and succeed despite his limitations.

Monroe was able to take advantage of the smaller and thinner centers in the pace-and-space era by overpowering them on the low block on offense. On defense, he wasn't exactly known as an elite anchor but was able to survive by being an above-average positional defender: someone who could contest shots at the rim and ward off attackers by being in the right place at the right time despite his limited verticality.

Drawing from his career experiences as a resource, Monroe should have plenty to pass down to Theis, Missi, Matkovic, and any other big men that the Pelicans might end up bringing in to aid their pursuit of a title. For Theis, learning how to be effective with limited athleticism at his age and after several injuries will be crucial. For Missi, Monroe's wisdom and veteran leadership will go a long way towards nurturing one of the younger players from the draft who might have to play a much larger role than most rookies. Monroe spent two seasons overseas in the middle of his NBA career before returning to the States and should be able to connect with Karlo Matkovic over their shared international experiences.