New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green seeing competitiveness in team heading into NBA preseason

NEW ORLEANS – What impact has executive vice president Joe Dumars had on the New Orleans Pelicans so far? Can prized rookie guard Jeremiah Fears open the season as the starting point guard? When will veteran guard Dejounte Murray return from his torn Achilles injury?

Those are just some of the most anticipated questions expected at Pelicans Media Day today. Atop all the inquiries from the press, however, will be questions about what to expect from the Pelicans’ very talented but oft-injured and critiqued forward Zion Williamson.

As for Pelicans head coach Willie Green, he believes the two-time NBA All-Star is “one of the best” players in the league.

“His talent is unmatched. I haven’t seen many guys that can do what Zion can do on the floor as fast as he is, as big as he is,” Green told Andscape. “He can rebound and take the ball coast-to-coast. He can play point guard. He can play in the post. He’s grown on the defensive side of the ball. He has the ability to carry a team. He has amazing touch around the basket.

“So, we would like him to add a little kind of mid-range jump shot that’ll take away some of those non-calls [when] he gets hammered and doesn’t get it. But again, when he’s on the floor, man, he’s one of the best.”

While his teams have been plagued by injuries, Green has a 148-180 record in four seasons as Pelicans head coach, has two playoff appearances and is entering the final season of his contract. The Pelicans had a 21-61 record last season with only two players suiting up for more than 66 of 82 games. Williamson was limited to 30 and 2020 NBA All-Star Brandon Ingram was traded midseason. Dumars also traded guard CJ McCollum in the offseason to the Washington Wizards in a three-team trade for guard Jordan Poole, a 2022 NBA champion who averaged 20.5 points last season, and veteran forward Saadiq Bey.

The following is an exclusive Q&A with Green with Andscape at Le Petite Grocery restaurant on Sept. 14 in which he talked in more detail about Williamson, his connection with Dumars, his hopes for Fears, his outlook for Murray, his overall hopes for the Pelicans, his growth and mentality as a coach going into his fifth season, the departure of veteran and fan favorite McCollum, the arrival of Poole, life in New Orleans and much more.

What excites you the most about this Pelicans team?

Just the young talent on our team. I think coming out of last season, our guys are going to be eager and hungry to step back on the floor and prove ourselves. I’m excited about some of the additions that we made to this group. We’re all looking forward to getting back on the floor.

When you reflect on last season, what do you think about the most?

How to improve. What I mean by improvement is how do I as a coach do a better job of putting this team in a position to win more games. So going back, watching some film, little self-reflection, and then from there just diving into the work.

How much does health play a role in your success next season?

It plays a huge role. If you’re healthy, you probably have a better chance of winning more games, putting yourself in a position to play in the postseason, being more competitive. So, that plays a huge role in it. But nobody looks at the game that way. When you’re not healthy, you are still expected to step on the floor and compete and carve out wins. That’s an area that we can grow and improve.

How is Zion right now mentally and physically? What could a healthy Zion for an entire season mean for the Pelicans?

He’s in a good space right now. I’ve seen him this summer. I saw him at minicamp in L.A. He looked really good. His conditioning looked well. They played 5-on-5. He’s been in the gym working. So that’s huge for our group. When he’s healthy – he knows this, people here in New Orleans knows this and people around the world know – that he’s one of the best players in the league. We’re all committed to doing everything we can to help him stay as healthy as he can.

It has been six years since Zion was drafted first overall in the NBA draft by the Pelicans. Do you see any difference in him from a maturity and leadership standpoint?

His offseason approach is different than it had been in the past. He’s understanding his body a little bit more and how he impacts his team. I don’t want to say we all are, but definitely outside of New Orleans, people are quick to jump on him. I have to commend him because there’s definitely some leadership qualities that he possesses. The guys follow him. When he steps on the floor, he’s a competitor, and the times that he is healthy, he’s one of the best players in the league and we win more games. So those are the things that he’s focusing on. He understands that.

As a Detroit native who grew up watching Joe Dumars star with the Pistons and become their general manager, can you tell me how far you both go back?

I met Joe when I was in high school. But even before that, watching him growing up with the Bad Boys Pistons up from Detroit, Michigan, watching him play for Detroit, win championships, battle the [Boston] Celtics, battle the [Los Angeles] Lakers, battle the [Chicago] Bulls. It really set the tone for me as a basketball player. We tried to emulate Joe, Isiah [Thomas], Vinnie Johnson, all those guys.

So, I had a chance to meet him in high school and then even in college. Sometimes I was able to go to the [Pistons’] practice facility. Joe was a GM at the time. And I’m excited to get an opportunity to work under his leadership.

Obviously, Joe could have made a coaching change but he stayed committed to you. What is his message to you going into this season?

It was just simple. He believes that we can win together and I believe the same. I’m eager to learn, and that’s what this is about for us. Coming in, trying to put a competitive team on the floor and trying to make this city proud of us.

Is there anything different you’ve seen since Joe arrived?

We’ve become more of a connected group. Joe has seen a lot in this league as a player, as an executive. He’s won three championships. So, his presence in our building is felt, knowing that is somebody with a lot of experience. I think a lot of us are learning from him.

CJ McCollum is gone to Washington. How do you replace him as a player and a leader?

We’re going to miss CJ. Anytime you lose a player and a person of his caliber, you’re going to feel that. We understand that is a part of being in this league, that guys at some point will play for different teams. But it still doesn’t negate the human factor, and the human factor was CJ was an awesome person of high character.

He was a tremendous leader and heck of a basketball player as well. We’re going to miss him, but we’re excited to welcome to our team Jordan and Saddiq Bey.

How do you bring the best out of Poole?

We’re getting Jordan at a really key point in his career. He goes to Golden State after being drafted there and wins a championship. He signs the big contract. He goes to D.C. and he’s playing on a team where at the end of it they don’t have a chance to compete for the playoffs. So, coming here, he’s excited. He’s excited to have an opportunity to compete.

I love what he brings to the table. He’s 26 years old. He works his tail off to put himself in a position to step on the floor and be really good. We’re getting him at a good time, man. So, I’m about having an opportunity to coach him.

Herb Jones and Trey Murphy are key young players who are under contract long term. What do you need them to both do to take their game to the next level?

Continue to step up as leaders, which they’ve done. Those two guys are sort of pillars right now of our organization and are two fantastic guys. High character, but they’re really good basketball players. I love how they’ve grown their games every year. Last season was unfortunate for both of them [with] shoulder injuries. They’re healthy now and we just want them to continue to take another step forward.

How talented is Fears?

I love him. He’s an incredible worker. He’s young, but he has a seriousness about his approach to the game. And he’s taken it all in since we’ve gotten him out to [NBA] Summer League [in Las Vegas]. I’ve watched him get better and better every week. That’s exciting to see a young guy get better that fast with his ability to control the game and to get his team settled.

More importantly, he’s picking up full court defensively. He’s causing havoc. I think he’s grown since we grabbed him. He’s grown another inch, man. I was taller than him at first. Now I think he’s taller than me.

How tall do you think Jeremiah is now?

He’s 6-3 or 6-4. So, we’re excited about Jeremiah, man. He’s going to be a good player.

Anybody from your day as a player or coach in the NBA that Jeremiah reminds you of?

I hate to do the comparisons, but he’s a little bit Russell Westbrook-ish. His seriousness, his approach to the game. [Fears is] from Chicago. You got to look at D-Rose [Derrick Rose], the athleticism, speed. They’re built the same. But he’s going to carve out his own name, though. That’s what we’re excited about.

What does the starting point guard competition look like and does Jeremiah have a chance?

It’s going to be competitive. I don’t know who is going to do what at this point, but I’m looking forward to a competitive camp. Everybody has a chance [to compete]. That’s what makes it unique this season.

In terms of Dejounte, any hopes of him playing anytime soon? (Murray had season-ending surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon on Jan. 31).

He’s working, man. He’s back on the floor. He’s doing his rehab stuff. So, he’s doing everything he needs to do to put himself in a position to be ready when he’s ready. But we won’t push that. That’ll be a discussion that happens collectively. Right now, it’s about his leadership. Even though he’s not playing, he’ll be leading and he’ll be in practices with the guys. Then when he’s ready, that’ll be a discussion that happens a little later.

How do you keep Dejounte engaged and mentally aligned with the team?

Keep letting him know how important he is to our group. Keep talking to him. Keep having communications about what we’re doing. Keep asking him what he sees because his input is important. He’ll naturally mentor some of these young guys as well.

He’s in a good space. He was in L.A. The whole team was there. So, in L.A., I had a couple of good conversations with him. He’s in a great space. I’m happy to see him starting to do more on the floor. Because that’s what guys want to do; they want to play basketball.

What is the best thing that came out of the players’ minicamp in Los Angeles?

The guys got together at Loyola (Marymount University). We just carved out a few hours a day where they went in and worked out, played 5-on-5. They went to some dinners, did some activities together as a group. Not a lot of coaches, so they kept some coaches out of there. It’s really a time for them to connect, get to know each other, to hoop and come out of there a little bit more connected.

If the Pelicans are healthy, what should we expect next season?

I always have high expectations. I keep them to myself. But, No. 1, we are going to go out and compete. That’s the biggest thing. We’ll see a team that plays with toughness. Defensively, we’re sound. We’re executing on both ends of the floor. But I’m always challenging myself to have high expectations. …

That’s what I’m excited about the most, is that it’s going to take a little bit of work. But we’ve got a really talented group. And I think that the competitiveness of this group is going to be really exciting to see.

Who would you consider your mentors right now? When you need some words of wisdom from a coaching standpoint, who do you call?

I call a number of people. Monty Williams. We still talk a lot. Mike D’Antoni was on our staff. I still talk to him. I still talk to Steve Kerr, Mike Brown. I have a number of folks I can call that are going to give me good advice, and we will bounce ideas off each other. Aaron McKie, Kevin Ollie, former teammates that were coaches. So, I’m blessed to have a good group of coaches and guys that understand what we all go through.”

Q: What’s the best advice you received since last season?

‘Just be you.’ People are going to get the best when you are yourself and you continue to understand who you are, what you’re about, how you want to lead. I’m big on servant leadership. Everybody has different styles and different ways in which they want to go about leading. But that’s the best advice I’ve gotten is, ‘Be you. Everybody else is taken. Be you.’ ”

What does getting to year five as a head coach mean to you?

Getting to year five is a blessing in itself in the NBA as a head coach. I’m grateful for [Pelicans primary owner] Ms. [Gayle] Benson, Joe and our coaching staff, our staff in general, our players, that I get an opportunity to lead and serve another season. I’m always continuously striving to learn more, understanding who I am, how I want to coach, but not shying away from some new ideas, some new concepts that may make us better. Going into year five, there is a part of me that is open to new concepts and ideas and a part of me that wants to attack.

What have you learned about New Orleans during your time here?

If you embrace this city, the city will embrace you back. It’s an amazing culture. The people here are incredible, resilient and fun. The food is amazing. The music is second to none. And if you give this city a chance and you embrace it and you dive into this community, they’ll love you back.

What do you like to do when you have free time in New Orleans?

Go take a walk in the parks, Audubon Park. I live close by. I’ve got a few staple restaurants that I like to go to and have a good meal. I catch a Tulane football game or basketball game because I’m close by. But I just keep life simple, man. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

What’s a perfect New Orleans dinner for you?

I definitely got to go with gumbo for my appetizer. Some type of seafood, sausage gumbo or a mix. Another appetizer is some type of crawfish dish. Can’t go wrong with that. Crawfish beignets. New Orleans has all kinds of ways in which you can get really good appetizers. Entrée, I love a gulf fish, red snapper or something like that with vegetables, rice. Maybe a side, an order of fries to finish it up. But you have to look very hard to find food that doesn’t taste good here. A couple times a week, I will go to a place and have a good meal. The food here is good. I like supporting the restaurants, especially local places. So, we like to get out to get some dinner and enjoy the people and the atmosphere.

What message do you have for Pelicans fans and the city of New Orleans about this team?

The biggest thing I would like to say is, first of all, to any one of our fans or people that support us, we’re so grateful for that support, man. The fact that they’re coming up to me and saying anything, that means they’re watching. I would ask them to keep watching and buckle your seatbelts up because we’re coming.