Willie Green: The Competitive Force Behind the New Orleans Pelicans

The Unyielding Spirit of Willie Green in Redefining Pelicans Basketball

New Orleans - In the visitor's locker room, an hour before the game, Klay Thompson is animatedly scrolling through his phone, attempting to unearth a video from a training camp a few years ago. “I need to find this video for you man,” he says scrolling through his gallery of pictures. The video in question is one from a training camp a few years ago. Thompson recounts the story of them playing football, with Willie Green as his receiver. “I threw him this perfect pass, a dime, and he just dropped it. Guy has no hands bro. It’s funny”, Thompson recounts, face lit up with nostalgia.

Though absent from the game against the Pelicans due to the second night of a back-to-back, Thompson's eyes widen in excitement at the mere mention of Willie Green. "Willie G is a legend." The respect the multi-time champion carries for the young head coach is palpable. It is a respect shared by the biggest stars in the Warriors’ locker room, born out of the mutual pursuit for greatness. Green may appear soft spoken in most public interactions, but inside there is an unyielding competitor that the game’s most accomplished athletes gravitate towards. The challenge for Green now, is to channel this magnetic force and propel the Pelicans towards sustained success.

Long before his NBA career and coaching tenure, Willie Green despised losing. “I’ve been competitive since I was young,” reminisces Green. “I was that kid to not take losing. I was crying after every loss I had - no matter what it was in. If it was racing, if you beat me - I cried. If you beat me on the basketball floor, somewhere I went away from everybody and cried about it.” It was something that Green had to continue to adapt to as he got older, but the fire propelled him to become the 4th all time scorer at Detroit Mercy and enjoy a 12 season career in the NBA.

The desire to win was a quality Monty Williams, current Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons, would take note of during the two’s brief overlap in Philadelphia as players. “I kinda knew it when I played with him in Philly,” remembers Williams. “I was like this dude is ready for the NBA”. Williams went on to coach Green in New Orleans and eventually hire Green as associate head coach with the Phoenix Suns. Through decades in the NBA, their paths kept crossing - in large part due to Williams proactively seeking out Green at every opportunity.

Reflecting on their time in New Orleans, Williams acknowledges Green's impact on the locker room. In the tapestry of team dynamics, Green would emerge as a linchpin - skillfully weaving together threads that bound the locker room. Green's unique combination of qualities—an adept connector, a tireless worker, and a consistent producer on the court - set him apart as not just a player, but as a leader behind the curtains. Williams vividly recalls Green's proactive approach, reaching out to fellow players when needed, showcasing a commitment to fostering unity and cohesion within the team. “He would call guys up in the locker room when he needed to. Guys loved him because of his character and his work ethic.”

It was due to these qualities that Green had not only endeared himself to his peers, but when the Hornets chose not to re-sign him, the loss reverberated across the team.

“I remember when we didn’t resign him,” recalls Williams. “I thought like holy toes, what are we doing? It really bothered me because there was a leadership void, production on the court void when he left.”

It would be just over a decade after his stint in New Orleans before Green would accept a head coaching position in the NBA. In that time Green was learning - whether it was as a vet with the Clippers and Magic, or as an assistant with the Warriors and Suns. Having witnessed Green’s journey first hand, Williams emphasizes Green's deliberate choice to eschew the common impulse of assistant coaches in the NBA— the rush to ascend to a head coaching position. Instead, Green's focus was laser-sharp on the present, on being the best assistant coach he could be.

“People were calling me about him and I would tell him, and he was like ‘Mont, I’m good. I’m learning, I’m growing, I’m not in a rush.’ You don’t find that in a lot of the assistant coaches in the NBA. I think everybody’s in a hurry to get to the next position Willie was dead set on being the best assistant he could be, and I really admired that”.

Green's resolute focus translated into a steady rise through the coaching ranks. Players quickly noticed the edge he brought. “I’ve seen it man,” remarks Klay, shaking his head. “Even during the days he had to help us play pick up. The man was in great shape as an assistant coach and he would hold his own out there. You don’t do that by being nice. You gotta have an edge to you. As nice of a man Willie is, he has a great edge to him and he wants to win at all costs. That’s why he was so fun to be around when he was with the Dubs.”

Thompson’s teammate, Draymond Green echoes this sentiment, portraying Willie Green as a fierce yet even-keeled competitor. The description may seem paradoxical to most, but to Draymond it’s just another night at the office. “I get a chance to see that every night when you’re talking about a Steph Curry or a Klay Thompson. Willie is the same way. Not gonna say much, but you feel that desire, that passion. You feel how you much wants it.”

The emotional stability is a quality Willie carefully crafted throughout his journey from the young boy hiding away after losses to his current position as head coach. The combination of competitiveness and poise is one Golden State Head Coach, Steve Kerr, believes is paramount for coaches to succeed in the NBA.

“In the NBA, if you freak out every couple games and lose your mind, it’s gonna grow old quickly,” acknowledges Kerr. Draymond concurs, “You don’t want to get too high, you don’t want to get too low because your players will read that. And they’ll react that way.” According to both, Willie Green has the requisite steadiness and is built for the long haul. It’s Willie’s experience as a former player that helps him avoid common pitfalls coaches face when relating to their athletes, and creates a mutual understanding - an appreciation Monty Williams shares.

Williams astutely notes that Green's path to the coaching helm, unlike a smooth ascent marked by lucrative contracts, mirrors the struggles faced by many in the league. Green's odyssean journey, characterized by a well traveled path across many teams, provides him with a rare level of empathy. Williams draws a crucial distinction between sympathy and empathy, asserting that Green's personal experiences enable him to genuinely understand and share in the emotions of his players. This, Williams believes, is a powerful catalyst for building relationships that extend beyond the court.

“You can always have sympathy for other guys, but when you’ve gone through it, you have empathy. I think he has that. He’s just a guy that I know can relate to a number of players, different paths to the NBA, guys who’ve been cut, guys were on the bubble - he can relate to all that because he’s been through a lot of situations.”

Monty Williams' observation underscores that Willie Green's coaching prowess isn't merely rooted in Xs and Os; it's a product of a lived experience that amplifies his capacity for empathy. It’s this very experience that has translated to results on the court as well. The Pelicans have steadily improved each year during Green's tenure, finishing the previous season with a winning record and boasting the sixth-best defense in the league despite key player absences.

In Draymond's eyes, this defensive ranking isn't just a statistic; it's a clear indication that Willie Green's attention to detail and emphasis on defensive strategies have permeated the team. “It shows that his voice is heard,” remarks Draymond.

The ability to maintain a top-tier defense, especially in the face of player injuries, showcases not only the effectiveness of Green's coaching but also the resilience and adaptability instilled in the players.

”The way his team competes on the defensive end,” continues Draymomd, “like I can tell a good coach in this league by the way their team competes on the defensive end. Low man is always there - that’s teaching.”

The Pelicans' success on the defensive end is a testament to Green's coaching philosophy. Yet, the heartbeat of his approach lies in the day-to-day interactions, the grind behind the scenes. Willie Green's influence extends beyond strategy and game execution, reaching into the very fabric of the team. From that fabric emerges an unwavering commitment to a core value: competitiveness. In his candid admission, Green leaves no room for ambiguity.

“There are times when you have a few guys that don’t (compete),” Green acknowledges. “Those are people you want to avoid having on your roster or being around. Just frankly being honest about it.”

Players lacking an intense desire to win may find themselves at odds with his coaching philosophy. However, Green doesn't merely demand competitiveness; he elevates it to a non-negotiable standard. In his own words, he emphasizes that there's no such thing as being too competitive - underscoring a belief that permeates every facet of the team's daily regimen.

“Everything that we do in practice, there’s a competitive edge to it," Green elaborates. “We have competitive practices. We have competitive film. We’re competing in the weight room, competing in our treatment. Everything we do, there’s a competitiveness to it.”

There is a relentless pursuit of excellence that leaves no room for complacency. “The odds of making it to the NBA are so slim,” Green emphasizes. “To even think you can make it, there has to be a competitive edge in you. To think you can overcome those odds and play on this level - I’m not sure there is over-competing.”

Green's conviction that everyone on the roster must embody this spirit to make it to the NBA serves as a powerful rallying cry, a reminder that, in the world of professional basketball, the path to success is paved with an insatiable appetite for competition.

Willie leaves us with a visceral admission that lays bare the emotional investment he pours into every contest.

"Still to this day as a grown man, when we lose, there’s a part of me that is crying. I hate it that much. I’ll do everything that I can within the rules to try to win the game."

The raw honesty of his words paints a vivid picture of a competitor who feels the sting of defeat as keenly as ever, even in his role as a head coach. As the Pelicans look to the future under Green's leadership, there's an optimism that saturates the air. His ability to connect with players, foster a culture of competitiveness, and navigate the intricacies of the game positions the team on an upward trajectory. While the tears shed in defeat tell a story of intense emotion, they also reflect a leader who will stop at nothing to secure victory.