Willie Green on team start, group leaders | New Orleans Pelicans

Willie Green on team start, group leaders | New Orleans Pelicans

[Music] Hey, first how how’s the team kind of responded since you’ve been back from the road trip? Uh we had a good a good film session today. Uh we had a good really good practice. Uh turning the page obviously um we’re all disappointed, frustrated with our our start. Um but we we we continue to come in, work at it, and and address it. But what have your conversations been like with the front office with Gail and and Joe just about a slow start to the season? Um Joe and I have, you know, we talk pretty much every day and um you know, again, we we we all echo the same sentiment that um we’ll continue to work at it. Uh there’s definitely, you know, we all frustrated, want to be better, and uh we’re all a part of, you know, making sure that we do what we can to be better. Can you put your finger on any common thread to those three lopsided losses? Yeah, you know, not to make any excuses, but you know, new group playing against really experienced teams. Um Boston, Denver, and um OKC. Um so, you know, if you don’t if you don’t compete for 48 minutes, play hard, play together against groups like that, um they expose you. And so, there’s a lot that we can take from those games and and try to make sure we implement it. Uh that’s the biggest is the consistency for us is competing against no matter who we play against and those were let down games for us. Historically when a team starts the way the Pelicans have this season a lot of attention starts turning to the head coach maybe even the executives. Are you feeling any pressure for your job? Look when you when you take these positions this is what comes with it. There’s no way around that. Uh when the team doesn’t do well or doesn’t start the way you want it to. Uh, I’m up front and center and you know it’s it’s my responsibility to try to continue to help these guys get on track. You mentioned that there needs to be more belief in in what is taking place here. How do you create that belief? Why have people lost the belief? The new group guys that I mean half our team is new guys are stepping up into different roles. Um, so it’s a combination of just continuing to work at it all together and it’s easy when you get the wins because the wins validate what you’re doing, but when you have some losses, you know, sometimes that can be difficult and that’s that’s the belief in everything that we’re doing and that’s what we’re working towards. Well, what’s your message to the fans who are frustrated with the way the season started? I understand it. I totally understand the frustration from fans. We all feel the same way and we want to get it right. A few years ago, you said you me uh you met with Devonte Graham when you were bringing him off the bench. When he was a starter, you’re bringing off the bench. You said you had a conversation with him. Did you have a similar meeting with Jordan P? Just how has he handled uh the transition towards leading the bench today? Yeah, I talked to him um before I made the decision and uh it’s been it’s tough it’s a tough transition for him to be honest. Uh but it’s something he continues to work through. uh we continue to have conversations about it. Um but you know, obviously he’s competitive. He wants to be um in a starting lineup. He wants to prove his worth and uh this is all this is something that he’s experienced before, but new new this season for him. How do you block out the noise? Like personally, just continue to be me. Uh continue to have faith in what we’re trying to accomplish. You guys have been around me now for 5 years. I haven’t changed my approach and um I’ll continue to come in have ownership in what we’re doing but continue to work at it. Coach talk about you talked about that experience stretch that y’all just went through. Can you talk about seeing that early and how that set y’all up for the rest of the season? Say it again. That experience stress seeing Boston seeing OKC like uh seeing those teams early. What do you take from that? Well, it’s all meant to, you know, when you go through difficulties, you know, you can you can pull together and it can it can help you in the long run. it can help you become better. And that’s the goal here is that, you know, we didn’t we we’re not starting the season the way we want to. We all understand that. Um I’m confident in this group. It’s new for all of us. We’ll continue to work through it, but hopefully it makes us better as we progress throughout the season. What makes you confident in a group that is have new It’s just who I am. I have faith. I have belief. Uh we believe in the processes that we we’re we’re trying to reach and I have belief in our players. when when you were a player and you were in situations where the team wasn’t succeeding as much as they, you know, maybe were projected to, maybe there were conversations about, you know, the head coach um uh transitioning and and there being a replacement. How did you attack the dayto-day? What was your approach in terms of, you know, like yeah, how you carried yourself? Control the controllables. There’s there’s certain um situations that we can’t control, but we can we can come in and we can collectively compete harder, we can play more together, we can be more connected, uh we can sustain that for more of a 48minute game. Those are things that we can control. At at a human level, is it tougher to come in with that same level of focus as say, you know, if you were blocking? It can be for sure. I mean, you the wins validate what you’re doing when you have losses. Uh sometimes that can make it tough, but we got to stick with it. With a new group, which players do you lean on? if he had CJ or BI, he would kind of take charge of the locker room with with a new group, a young group. Who who do you lean on? Um, we’re leaning on the core guys that that have been here. Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Z DeAndre Jordan, and Kaban Looney was great for us. So, we have leaders here. Um, but it’s just going to take work for us and and that’s what we’re committed to doing. Uh, look, again, we’re all frustrated. I feel the fans frustration. We’re all disappointed in our start, but you know, we can’t we can’t just stay there. We got to turn the page and keep working towards getting better. Can you speak on how the rookies are dealing with these losses? You see Jeremiah Pierce, he’s starting, but Derek Lee’s minutes are dropping a little bit. How are they reacting? They’ve been fine. They both those guys are working their tails off. Um they’re still enjoying the process, enjoying the opportunity to have this platform and playing it on the NBA level. Is there more of a decision between why Derek Green has played a little bit more early and hasn’t been playing? Well, we getting we we got Kavon back, got Derek back. Um, so just not enough minutes at the five spot right now, but we’ll try to continue to mix him in when we can. Specifically, can you speak to his level of covering so much? I’m I’m super excited about what he’s bringing. Uh, he is he’s a competitor. He’s relentless. Um, you know, he adds a different dynamic to our group being a ball handler that can tack the paint, kick outs, he guards well.

New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green speaks with the media after Pelicans practice at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 ahead the team’s game against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
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