It's no secret that the New Orleans Pelicans have had a disappointing start to the season. They are just 2-13 to start the year, tied for the second-worst record in the entire NBA, and are firmly at the bottom of the Western Conference. 

Expectations for New Orleans were high going into the season, with the promise of a fully healthy Zion Williamson and the new pairing of Williamson with Jordan Poole. That, of course, hasn't materialized, and the abysmal start to the season has forced the hand of team ownership.

Pelicans head coach Willie Green was fired Nov. 15 in response to the Pelicans' early-season failures. Green had been the Pelicans' head coach since 2021 and finished his time with the team with a 150-190 record. 

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green let his thoughts be known about the Pelicans' situation and Green's firing in a recent episode of his podcast The Draymond Green Show.

"Usually, when you get new general managers coming in, they usually want to bring their own coach in that they believe in, that they feel like fits their own philosophy more. So, it needed to be great to start this year for Willie, and obviously that just hasn't happened," Green said. 

The Pelicans have had a recent front office shakeup, as Green alluded to. Ex-Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver was named the team's vice president of operations.

The other major shakeup to the front office was the hiring of Joe Dumars to executive vice president of basketball operations in April 2025, making him the leading executive and decision-maker of the front office. 

The firing of Green was one of Dumars' earliest major decisions, and it was rooted in the team's horrible start.

Green's tenure was marred by constant injuries to his players, especially to Williamson, and while they did make the playoffs multiple times with Green at the helm, they never made it past the opening round of the tournament. 

Having to contend with so many injuries while he led the team surely bogged down both the team's and Green's potential, leaving his time with the Pelicans a question of "what could have been?"

"He never quite got a chance to see it through, and that's one of those s****y feelings, like I feel a little s****y for Willie Green," Draymond Green said. "He's never gotten an opportunity to truly show who he is as a coach."

"When they were healthy for a period of time, it actually was rolling... If you look at the record... yes, it will all be validated, but if you look under the hood, it's just one of those ones that don't quite feel like it was fulfilled."