It's Time to Make James Borrego the Permanent Pelicans Head Coach

The New Orleans Pelicans will not find a better head coach for this team than James Borrego.

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Only looking at the New Orleans Pelicans' record under him, it may be difficult to argue that James Borrego has been doing a good job as the interim head coach. Watching the games and looking deeper into the metrics, however, paint a different picture. Despite the 2-12 record since he took over from Willie Green on November 15, the Pelicans have been much improved. The trajectory the Pelicans are on and the development of the key young players suggest that the Pelicans need to give Borrego the reins by making him the permanent head coach.

This is already a lost season for the Pelicans. The priority will be on internal development. There are positive signs on that front under Borrego.

Pelicans Are Improving Under James Borrego

The Pelicans have a 115.0 offensive rating under Borrego, per Cleaning the Glass, making them the 15th-best offense in the NBA in that stretch. In terms of net rating, the Pelicans are actually 23rd in that span with -5.5, putting them above the likes of the Blazers, Kings, and the Jazz in the Western Conference. They have been the unluckiest team in the league during this 14-game stretch, winning 2.8 games less than what would be expected based on their net rating on Cleaning the Glass.

More importantly, however, the Pelicans are playing with effort and discipline, in addition to the pace and intentionality that Borrego brought. Their defense is still a work in progress, but they play hard and try to execute. Starting a rookie point guard and a rookie center is certainly very challenging for an NBA defense, but the Pelicans have punched above their weights on that end of the floor, especially considering both Herb Jones and Trey Murphy's absences. The Pelicans have the sixth-worst defense in the league with Borrego in charge, better than some would have thought with the defensive personnel.

The Pelicans' future will be defined by Fears and Queen, and the two rookies have seemingly fully embraced Borrego. They have kicked into another gear under him, steadily rising in rookie rankings. They will have their duds and inconsistencies, but they are both playing hard and building good habits. As long as that remains, Borrego's tenure can be considered a success.

Instead of bringing in a new head coach and going through an adjustment period, the Pelicans need to officially kickstart the James Borrego era. This will allow the team to properly evaluate the roster in the rest of the season and build the right group that fits Borrego's system around Fears and Queen for next season and beyond.