Coach Green: Pelicans Year Over Year Progression A 'Blessing' To Be A Part Of
New Orleans, LA - Saturday's victory over the Portland Trail Blazers gave the New Orleans Pelicans its 41st win of the season and guaranteed its first back-to-back non-losing seasons since the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 NBA years. After finishing last season 42-40, New Orleans has a chance to get to 50 wins for only the second time in franchise history. The Pelicans must finish at least 9-6 in their last 15 games to reach that mark.
Coach Willie Green is two wins away from improving his win total in each of the first three seasons that he's coached in New Orleans. Despite being in fierce competition for playoff positioning, Coach Green admitted to reflecting on the progression of the franchise and feeling "blessed" to be a part of it. "It's a tremendous blessing to be in the position that we're in now," Green told reporters after their victory on Saturday night. "This season is not finished, obviously, we have more to do, but when we get that type of buy-in, I just give credit to God, and I'm grateful for it."
Mar 15, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green talks with forward Brandon Ingram (14) after the game against the LA Clippers at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
That "buy-in" Coach spoke about starts with the stars on the team who are healthy and motivated to win. Pelicans forward Zion Williamson was criticized earlier in the year, by former players and critics, for being out of shape and not taking his craft as seriously as he should. Whether that criticism was justified is up for interpretation, but what can't be denied is the results on the floor from Williamson.
Zion is easily on pace to play the most games in a season this year than any other year of his career. Since the All-Star break, Williamson has averaged 23.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. He's also picked things up on the defensive end, recording at least one steal and one block in the same game for four of the last six contests. Williamson looks close to being in the best shape of his career, with ESPN's Brian Windhorst reporting that Williamson has lost 25 pounds since the In-Season Tournament in December.
The same can be said for CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram. McCollum was praised for his offseason workout program after missing the playoffs for the first time in his career. The results have yielded great improvement, as McCollum is No. 2 in the league in three-point shooting with a minimum of seven attempts a game. Ingram has expanded his game past scoring to becoming a true playmaker within the offense. B.I. is on track to surpass his career high in assists for a season and has increased that amount every year he's been in New Orleans.
Other key role players like Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III have expanded their games this season, with the main priority of winning. Jones is not only in line for a First Team All-NBA Defense selection, but he's shooting a career-high 43.4% from beyond the arc. Murphy III has expanded his game past just shooting, by him putting the ball on the floor more and attacking close-out defenders with his dribble drives.
All of this equals a team fighting almost neck and neck with the Clippers for homecourt advantage in the first round. The Pelicans currently have the second-most road wins in the NBA and one of the best point differentials in the league since the All-Star break. Things are coming together for this franchise and team, with a bright future ahead to be possible contenders year in and year out.
