New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Facing Signicant Expectations in Fourth Year

Willie Green enters his fourth year with the Pelicans loaded with expectations for himself and the team.

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green enters his fourth season in the 'Big Easy' with many expectations on his team. Green has navigated a better record than the previous year in his first three seasons in New Orleans. Last year marked the second-most wins in franchise history (49) for the team, but the injury bug bit at the wrong time for the Pelicans.

Historically, the fourth year has been a make-or-break year for coaches in New Orleans. Three previous coaches in franchise history have made a fourth-year coaching, Byron Scott, Monty Williams, and Alvin Gentry. Two of the three had losing seasons in their fourth year. Scott led New Orleans to a franchise-best 56 wins and a Coach of the Year Award in his fourth year coaching with New Orleans.

All three were fired after five full seasons coaching the team, with Scott being fired in the early part of his sixth year. Injuries and a talent drain doomed the previous coaches in New Orleans. The talent is there now for Willie Green and the Pelicans, and it remains to be seen if this team can stay healthy, although there were positive signs last year with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Green will need to find a way to maximize the talent on this roster, especially in crunch-time situations for the Pelicans to succeed. New Orleans was a woeful 0-24 when trailing after three-quarters last season. They became the first team in NBA history to have a winning record while never recording a victory when trailing heading into the fourth quarter.

A quick look at the numbers points to how inefficient the Pelicans were down the stretch. They were second to last in the league in free throw percentage in the clutch, No. 24 in turnovers, and No. 28 in points scored. The team hopes the acquisition of All-Star guard Dejounte Murray helps with the issues in closing games.

Murray averaged the third-most points in the clutch amongst players playing at least 40 clutch games last year. He hit three game-winning shots versus the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics, all against Top 5 defenses. What Coach Green must navigate is what the closing lineups for New Orleans will look like next season.

CJ McCollum, Williamson, Ingram, Murray, Trey Murphy III, and Herb Jones all can stake legitimate claims to be in the closing lineup for New Orleans. The expectation with the talent pool Green has is for the Pelicans to advance further than they have in his tenure there. New Orleans has not made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2018 and is seeking their first three straight winning seasons in franchise history.

Green reportedly signed an extension with the Pelicans last summer. The details of such were not publicly made available. A deep playoff run would solidify Green's stature in the organization. Another disappointing season would raise some questions about his future with the team.