Ranking 4 Pelicans Head Coach Candidates From Worst to Best

The New Orleans Pelicans' season from hell is finally over. After the 56th loss of the campaign on Sunday night, the Pelicans have entered a crucial offseason where difficult decisions have to be made. Perhaps the biggest decision of them all is who their head coach will be next season and beyond.

Interim head coach James Borrego will have a chance to retain his job, but there will reportedly be a search with multiple candidates. The most widely reported candidates are Jamahl Mosley and Darvin Ham. On Sunday, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto confirmed Ham and Mosley as potential options, but added former UConn coach Kevin Ollie's name into the mix. Out of these candidates, who would be the best option? Let's rank them from worst to best.

4. Kevin Ollie

Ollie has been associated with the Pelicans job ever since New Orleans appointed Troy Weaver as the GM. He interviewed for the Pistons job when Weaver was the GM in Detroit. Ollie had previously referred to Weaver as "a father figure" to him.

Making a hire based on personal relationships is the Pelicans way. Therefore, Ollie as the next head coach of the Pelicans would surprise very few people. In reality, however, it would be a big mistake.

Ollie hasn't been a head coach since he was fired by UConn in 2018. He had an interim head coaching gig briefly with the Brooklyn Nets in 2024, but other than that, he has had a front office role with the Overtime Elite and an assistant coach position with Brooklyn over the last eight years. In fact, the vast majority of his coaching experience is at the collegiate level, which doesn't always translate to the NBA.

The 53-year-old coach has had plenty of success in Connecticut, but was also embroiled in various violations that led to his ousting. Bringing him on as an assistant makes some sense, but it would be a highly questionable decision to hire Ollie as the head coach with such minimal experience and a mixed bag of a track record.

3. Jamahl Mosley

The current Orlando Magic head coach may or may not be available in the offseason. This will depend on how far his team goes in the postseason, but unless they pull off an improbable first-round upset, the Magic will likely move on from Mosley.

In his first four seasons with the Magic, Mosley did an excellent job giving the team a defensive identity. When Orlando went all-in for Desmond Bane, however, Mosley wasn't able to build a good enough offense. There is reportedly a tension between him and Paolo Banchero, as well.

However, Mosley wouldn't be the worst hire as he has proven himself able to build elite defenses. The Pelicans need to improve on that end of the floor, and Mosley has seen success with young, rebuilding teams. Targeting of Mosley by the Pelicans top brass makes sense, but there may be better options among the leading candidates.

2. Darvin Ham

Ham's Lakers tenure gets unfairly criticized, but how they have performed since firing him may redeem their former head coach. The Lakers had their biggest success in recent years under Ham, going to the Conference Finals in 2023 despite an ill-fitting roster after the Russell Westbrook addition.

Before his time with the Lakers took the shine off, Ham has long been one of the most respected assistant coaches in the league. He was the lead assistant to Mike Budenholzer when the Bucks won the title in 2021 and has been in Milwaukee under Doc Rivers over the last two years.

Ham has done enough as an assistant and a head coach in the NBA to deserve another opportunity. Whether that will be with the Pelicans remains to be seen.

1. James Borrego

Pelicans fans may not want to hear this, but it's hard to imagine New Orleans finding an upgrade over Borrego amongst the reported candidates. Borrego went 24-46 as an interim, so it may be difficult to talk yourself into him as the permanent head coach, but there were enough positives during his tenure to justify his appointment.

It was not an easy job for Borrego this season. This team arguably had the worst center and point guard depth in the entire league. Until Dejounte Murray returned, the Pelicans only had 19-year-old rookie Jeremiah Fears as a point guard in the rotation. Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney were both disasters. The Pelicans had no reliable centers outside of Yves Missi for most of the season.

Fears and Derik Queen had to play extended minutes, and the Pelicans understandably struggled with two rookies in the rotation. Borrego responded to this by playing with a ton of pace and attacking the rim. The team's offense took a significant step forward under his watch. The defense, however, understandably left plenty to be desired. With the personnel on the team, this was hardly surprising.

Borrego is a very good offensive coach. He has made bold decisions all season, like cutting Jordan Poole from the rotation, moving Queen and Fears to the bench, and deploying centerless or point guard-less starting lineups. He is innovative and creative. Even though the results didn't back this up this season, it's hard to imagine any head coach having a much better record with this roster. Borrego deserves a chance with a better-fitting roster next season.