Willie Green has a lot of things to accomplish as the new head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. But one task, even if it's mostly unspoken, rises above the others:
To help make sure Zion Williamson wants to stay long term.
Green comes to the team with a reputation of creating deep bonds with star players, which he formed as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors and then the Phoenix Suns. And this connection, between coach and franchise player, is vital; the 21-year-old Williamson is a year away from his contract being extension-eligible and potentially binding him to the Pelicans into his prime.
But it's a relationship that's starting from scratch.
"I haven't met Zion yet but I'm excited to meet him and to talk to him and to get to know him," Green says. "I'm sure there's more to Zion than we all know. And I'm intrigued to get to know him as much as he's willing to open up. That takes time and we have some time. I'll invest and do what we need to do to be authentic. I believe we'll get there."
Williamson's two years in New Orleans have been turbulent. There have been his injuries and the seasons rocked by COVID-19, which are out of anyone's control. But other issues have been just as problematic -- from missing the playoffs, to seeing two coaches fired, to watching respected veteran JJ Redick torch the team's front office publicly for being dishonest.
After firing Stan Van Gundy after just one season, the Pelicans were close to hiring Brooklyn Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn, sources say, before talks suddenly broke down and they had to pivot to Green.
To put it mildly, it hasn't been the type of fertile ground that allows deep roots to grow. It's a challenge team president David Griffin is well aware of, though, which is one of the reasons he executed a wide-ranging trade Tuesday that cleared an extra $20 million in salary cap space that he's expected to use in shopping for a point guard.
Making a splash at that position is important. Not just because Williamson has shown he's an effective ball handler and will need to work well with the player in that role, but because Williamson openly said he favored the team keeping restricted free agent point guard Lonzo Ball. If the Pelicans move on from Ball, they will need to nail the replacement.
Griffin hopes to make a huge offer to veteran free agent point guard Kyle Lowry, sources say, in an effort to import the type of leadership that Chris Paul brought to the Suns last year in morphing them into contenders. Green fits with that plan. He and Suns coach Monty Williams are deeply aligned and have the same relationship-based approach to coaching. Williams and Green were teammates in Philadelphia 18 years ago, then Green played for Williams in New Orleans a decade ago.
As Williams was bonding with his Suns players, which often showed itself in speeches and interactions with players captured on video, so was Green as his lead assistant. That is what the Pelicans feel they have with Williamson: an immense talent that hasn't found a connection with a pro coach like he had with Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.
"Most guys want to be coached at a high level but they also want to feel that you care and love them. I think that's most important," Green says. "What I mean by love is being loving. The best coaches in the world are not necessarily about X's and O's. The coaches or teachers you remember are the ones that care about you. They get more out of you. That's the essence of coaching -- they have to believe you care."
Green was in demand during the Suns' run to the Finals. In addition to the Pelicans, he had multiple interviews with the Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic for their head coaching openings. Because of the limitations of the COVID testing protocols, he couldn't leave the team for in-person sit-downs. His agent, Marc Cornstein, had to help him manage the array of interviews and presentations to teams over Zoom in between his preparation for playoff opponents.
For the Pelicans, Green's plan for how to use the multitalented Williamson and All-Star Brandon Ingram is at the core of his job. The system the Suns designed to maximize their stars' skillset was a game-changer in elevating them to championship contenders.
"Sometimes you're just in awe of what Zion can do. We're all excited about where we think Zion can go and it's our responsibility to help the team get to the next level," Green says. "When you have two All-Stars who are probably not even in the primes of their careers yet, maximizing them is important. You need to surround them with high-character players and people that can support them."
Every new head coach has a learning curve and there is inherent risk in hiring a candidate with no experience in the first chair. When he was general manager in Cleveland, Griffin picked first-time head coach Ty Lue because of his talent to develop relationships and it helped lead to a championship.
The expectations on Lue were heavy. After missing the playoffs in five of the past six years and the clock starting to tick on Williamson, the job Green is taking has some weight as well. He's aware of it and is leaning on the lessons he's learned to manage it.
"We all can agree this team is definitely ready to take the next step. It is something I felt like I was being called to do," Green says. "In Phoenix, Monty talked about how everything you want is on the other side of hard. I could've stayed or gone somewhere else as an assistant and it would've been easier for me. This is going to be a bigger challenge and I believe [in] taking the step towards the hard."