Pelicans Have an Obvious James Borrego Decision Despite the Losing Streak

The New Orleans Pelicans may not be winning, but they have to make James Borrego the permanent head coach.

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans lost five straight games and dropped to 8-27 for the season. They are stuck at the bottom of the Western Conference and are in the midst of a lost season. While showing improvement and flashes under interim head coach James Borrego, wins have been hard to come by for the Pelicans. Despite not being where they had hoped before the season, the Pelicans can't waste any more time before making Borrego the permanent head coach.

Since taking over from Willie Green on November 15, Borrego has led the Pelicans to a 6-17 record. Only two teams have a worse record in the NBA in that span. Yet, there are enough positives under Borrego that the Pelicans would be hard-pressed to find a better permanent head coach than the 48-year-old.

James Borrego Is Still the Best Candidate for Pelicans' Head Coaching Job

The Pelicans have been better than their record indicates under Borrego. They actually have a -4.4 net rating, good for the 23rd-best in the league in that stretch. Per Cleaning the Glass, this is in line with a 30-win team, and the Pels should have had a 9-14 record under Borrego.

A big reason why that is not the case is the Pelicans' struggles in the clutch. In games defined as "clutch", meaning within five points in the last five minutes of the game, the Pels are 3-8 under Borrego. Only the Clippers, Cavaliers, and Pacers have a worse clutch record than the Pels since Nov. 15. Winning a couple of close games would have the Pelicans much higher in the standings and strengthen Borrego's resume.

It's important to remember that the Pelicans had to play long stretches without Jordan Poole and Zion Williamson. Herb Jones has also missed 13 games since Borrego was appointed, and Dejounte Murray has yet to play this season. The Pelicans have had multiple starters out in almost every single game of Borrego's tenure. They had to rely on two rookies in their starting lineup and have largely played respectable, competitive basketball.

The Pelicans have been the 17th-best offense in the league under Borrego and have the 24th-best defensive rating. The offense has obviously been impressive on the back of a high-tempo style that Borrego likes. One can also easily argue that the defense is overperforming, considering that the starting point guard and center for the team are rookies.

Most importantly, however, the Pelicans are playing with effort and discipline. The young players are playing hard and are improving, while Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy are fitting seamlessly next to Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. Considering that the future of Pelicans basketball belongs to the Fears-Queen-Murphy trio, the fact that Borrego is getting the most out of them should be more important than the number in the win column. That should be enough to land him the head coaching job in New Orleans.