Pelicans Must Retain James Borrego Despite Disastrous Season

The New Orleans Pelicans are 15-41 and have been a disaster for most of the season. Considering that the front office seemingly thought this was a playoff-caliber roster and traded away their 2026 first-round pick, this has to be a major disappointment for the franchise. Despite this, interim head coach James Borrego has earned himself at least one full season, and the Pelicans would be wise to remove his interim tag sooner rather than later.

James Borrego Deserves a Full Season as the Pelicans Head Coach

Since Borrego took over on November 15, following the firing of Willie Green, the Pelicans are 13-31. In that span, however, they have been the unluckiest team in the league in terms of point differential. In reality, the Pelicans have a -3.7 net rating in Borrego's tenure, which is more in line with a 32-win team in a full season. This means that the Pelicans under Borrego won 4.2 fewer games than their point differential would suggest, per Cleaning the Glass.

This is not to say that if the Pelicans were on pace to go 32-50 this season, that would have been some major accomplishment. But it's important to note that the Pelicans have not been nearly as bad under Borrego as their record indicates.

A deeper look at the numbers points to a few things going well under Borrego. The Pelicans get to the rim more than any other team in the league. Since Borrego took over, the Pelicans have taken 43.9% of their field goals at the rim, by far the largest proportion in the NBA. As a result, they have the best location effective field goal% in the league, per Cleaning the Glass. This means that the Pelicans have the best shot profile, and if the players were making their shots at a league-average level, the Pels would be the most efficient offense in the league.

What this suggests is that the Pelicans' issues are more personnel-related than coaching. New Orleans is constantly generating good looks but struggles to convert them. Despite this, the Pelicans under Borrego are 17th in the league in offensive rating. Given the level of talent on the team, that is a promising mark.

This season, the Pelicans got nothing out of Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray, two players they pay over $60 million combined. They have the worst guard rotation in the league by a mile. Jeremiah Fears is the only traditional point guard in the rotation, and he is a 19-year-old rookie. The backcourt depth is so bad that Borrego has been starting a lineup without any guards in recent weeks.

New Orleans has a ton of weaknesses up and down the roster. The Zion Williamson-Derik Queen pairing is highly questionable on both ends of the floor. There is not enough shooting. The team's best shot creator is Zion Williamson, who needs spacing around him perhaps more than any star in the league. The team's best passer is their rookie center.

There is not a head coach in the league who could turn that into a competitive team in the stacked Western Conference. The Pelicans have not put Borrego (or Willie Green, for that matter) in a position to succeed with the roster they have built. To be able to judge the job Borrego has done, the Pelicans need to give him a roster that makes sense.

Given the promising signs under Borrego, the Pelicans have to give him that chance next season and beyond.

James Borrego Deserves a Full Season as the Pelicans Head Coach

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