Sources — Pelicans hiring James Borrego as affiliate head coach

The New Orleans Pelicans are hiring James Borrego as affiliate head coach, sources instructed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday afternoon.

Borrego, who was the top coach for the Charlotte Hornets from 2018 to 2022, turned down a number of different alternatives to be a high assistant to take the job with the Pelicans, sources mentioned.

The Pelicans may even retain assistant coach Jarron Collins, who was head coach Willie Inexperienced’s high assistant the previous two seasons, sources mentioned. Collins was one of many ultimate candidates for the head-coaching emptiness for the Detroit Pistons.

New Orleans had an open place on the teaching workers after assistant Ryan Pannone left earlier this spring to take a spot on the Alabama males’s basketball teaching workers.

Borrego and Inexperienced, who simply accomplished his second season because the Pelicans’ head coach, have historical past collectively. Borrego spent two seasons as an assistant coach in New Orleans, from 2010 to 2012, when the crew was nonetheless referred to as the Hornets. Inexperienced performed for New Orleans within the 2010-11 season.

Following his stint in New Orleans, Borrego went to Orlando, the place he spent 2012 to 2015 as an assistant for the Magic. Through the 2014-15 season, Borrego served because the interim head coach. That season was additionally Inexperienced’s solely 12 months taking part in for Orlando and his ultimate season as a participant.

The Pelicans are keen to include Borrego’s offensive philosophy right into a lineup that may characteristic Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum subsequent season. Whereas accidents performed a significant half, the Pelicans completed twentieth in offensive ranking final season and had been second to final in 3-pointers tried per sport.

Throughout his ultimate season in Charlotte, Borrego’s Hornets had been sixth within the league in 3s tried, eighth in offensive ranking and fifth within the league in tempo.

Borrego led the Hornets to a 43-39 file in 2021-22 and back-to-back journeys to the play-in event however was let go in April 2022.