According to ESPN sources, former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego has reached an agreement to become the New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach.
ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski posted the information in a tweet just before 5:00 pm CT on Saturday.
It’s a significant win for the Pelicans as Borrego was a hot name in assistant circles. He was reportedly in talks with the Rockets and Bucks, among others, but he chose the Pelicans.
Borrego isn’t unfamiliar with New Orleans or Willie Green. He served as an assistant under Monty Williams with the Hornets from 2010-2012, coaching Green as a player during the 2010-11 season.
It had been reported that Green wanted to add an experienced voice to his coaching staff. In late April, Christian Clark of the TIMES-PICAYUNE stated on his podcast that “I think (the Pelicans) would like a seasoned hand on the bench to provide some support for Willie Green…So, I would expect the Pels to target a former head coach, when they do the shakeup of the coaching staff.”
Borrego served as interim head coach of the Orlando Magic after Jacque Vaughn was released in February of 2015, leading the Magic to a 10-20 record over the final 30 games of the season.
He returned to the San Antonio Spurs that offseason, spending the next three years with the organization until he was tabbed by the Charlotte Hornets to be their head coach prior to the 2018-19 season. He was the first Latino head coach in the history of the NBA.
In four seasons in Charlotte, Borrego compiled a 138-163 record (.458). His final season was his best, as he led the Hornets to a 10-game improvement from the previous season and the most wins (43) for the franchise since the 2015-16 campaign.
James Borrego is most respected for his offensive mind and his commitment to player and ball movement, something the Pelicans have stated their focus on this offseason.
| Season | PPG | ORTG | PACE | 3PA | 3P% | CLUTCH WP% |
| 2021-22 | 115.3 (4) | 113.6 (8) | 100.52 (5) | 38.2 (6) | 36.5 (6) | 51.4 (15) |
| 2020-21 | 109.5 (23) | 110.1 (23) | 99.00 (18) | 37.0 (9) | 36.9 (14) | 58.1 (6) |
| 2019-20 | 102.9 (30) | 105.9 (28) | 96.24 (30) | 34.3 (14) | 35.2 (19) | 50.0 (13) |
| 2018-19 | 110.7 (19) | 110.7 (11) | 99.18 (21) | 33.9 (10) | 35.1 (18) | 46.2 (20) |
The Hornets were consistently among the league’s most frequent shooters from distance, ranking in the top 10 for attempts in three of four seasons. Borrego’s two most successful seasons; 2018-19, when the Hornets finished 39-43, and 2021-22, when they finished 43-39, were also the two fastest offenses during that period.
His Charlotte teams were also among the NBA’s best in clutch minutes, another big area of concern for New Orleans last season. The Hornets were 72-69 (.510) in clutch games under Borrego, the Pelicans are 31-38 (.449) over the last two seasons.
Borrego will be counted on to bring some cohesion to a Pelicans’ offense that has plenty of talented pieces, but lacks an identity.
How Borrego utilizes those pieces will be critical to the success of the franchise. But from here, the Pelicans have made a quality hire and a necessary one in order to revitalize their stagnant offensive attack.
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This hire was much needed and I think we discussed on here a few times (or maybe discussed with myself!). Someone is reading!! Hopefully works out well.
While y’all are building out the comment section I think WordPress allows Disqus.
Seems like a move in the right direction. 🤞🏽
Yeah, hopefully he can create movement
My only concern is, will he create movement or just speed up the offense, and will the rebound better or continue the issue if just leaking out
He’s not seeking pace for the sake of pace. It’s to seek out better shots when you have the offensive advantage. The Pelicans have to make quicker decisions in order to make opposing defenses react to them. Their rebounding is a mentality. Guys have to want to attack the glass, even when the philosophy requires guards to leak back. Boxing out is always an option.
Hopefully the beginning of reshaping a staff and roster to change the mentality of some of the players
I’m sure the organization is looking to move some of those “less than committed” players to other destinations. This team does need more competitors.
Good move. Borrego has a very good feel for point guards. Might help unlock Dice
I think he’s really going to help the backcourt tremendously. Oleh was ahead of the curve on citing him as an option.