Willie Green Wins Coach of the Month, Thanks to Zion Williamson’s Dominant Return

Ever since the departure of Anthony Davis, the New Orleans Pelicans have had a tough time in finding success. Despite having stars of the likes of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram on the roster, the Louisiana-based franchise found it difficult to win games. Sure, the team was as entertaining as they were expected to be, yet, would finish as one of the bottom-most teams in the West.

While injuries were a huge problem, NOLA wasn’t even lucky in the head coach position. Since the change from the New Orleans Hornets to New Orleans Pelicans in 2013, the franchise has had 4 coach changes.

However, this 2022-2023 season, the team looks better than ever before. The contributions of Willie Green have been a huge reason behind so.

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Willie Green named the Western Coach of the Month for December

Almost 10 games into the 2021-2022 season, with the Pels having won merely 1 game, Green was hired as the 3^rd Pels head coach in 3 seasons. With Zion out for the entire season, Willie led the team to the 9th-best record in the West. Defeating the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers, the team even made their first postseason appearance since 2018.

This season, despite sustaining a few injuries, NOLA has been sitting 3^rd in the West with an extremely impressive 23-14 record.

Having gone 10-5 in the month of December, the Pels HC was rewarded by being named the Western Conference Coach of the Month. And it was CJ McCollum who broke the news in the Pelicans’ latest practice session.

“We did go 10-5 this month. With that being said, Willie Green congratulations on being the coach of the month for the first time,” CJ revealed.

Being the humble character he is, the 41-year-old gave credit to the players for his outstanding achievements.

“None of this is possible with you all. No matter what awards and achievements that they give me, it is a credit to this group. I’m a reflection and a beneficiary of good folks practice. That’s what it takes for us to be special. I don’t try to get the shine, you guys don’t either. And that’s what I love about you guys,” Green said.

Zion Williamson to be credited for Green’s recent achievement

There is no denying that the Pels were a pretty special group of players. However, a huge chunk of their improvements and success needs to be credited to Zion.

Having missed out on the whole last season, the former Duke Blue Devil has been absolutely sensational this year. Seeming stronger than ever, the 6-foot-6 southpaw has managed to average 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.

With Zanos having to miss the next few weeks with a hamstring strain, it’ll be interesting to see how Willie Green’s boy fair without the All-Star duo of Williamson and BI.

Also Read: Zion Williamson Attained His Best When the Legendary Duke HC Demoted Him to Second Team