New Candidate Emerges in Pelicans' Head Coach Search

Jared Dudley Is a "Name to Watch" as the Potential Head Coach of the Pelicans

Dudley is currently on staff as a top assistant for the Denver Nuggets, who are preparing for the playoffs as a No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Before his stint with the Nuggets, the former NBA champion spent four seasons on Jason Kidd’s staff with the Dallas Mavericks, giving him a unique perspective on working with NBA stars. Dudley has coached both Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic during his time as an assistant coach, which could help him in his relationship with Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson.

The former No. 1 overall pick reaffirmed his commitment to New Orleans in his end-of-season media availability session this past week. Despite never playing in a playoff game through the first seven years of his career, Williamson clearly stated New Orleans is where he wants to be.

Dudley is a former NBA forward who played 14 seasons in the league for seven teams. He was mostly a bench player throughout his career, but he brought grit and toughness that his teammates appreciated.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James sang his praises after an on-court skirmish with the Orlando Magic caused Dudley to be ejected from the game. James said postgame, “'Dudz' will do whatever. He told you guys at media day his job is to come in here if somebody goes crazy, do something crazy to me or AD or whoever on the team, he's going to be the muscle." Toughness like that is something the Pelicans have lacked in recent years, so an embodiment of that from the head coach could help the team embrace that persona.

The coaching search for the Pelicans will be key in shaping the direction of their team for the next few years. After back-to-back embarrassing seasons, New Orleans must right its ship now to avoid falling further into the abyss of the Western Conference. The Pelicans must make a wise decision now to avoid the similar heartache they’ve experienced over the last couple of seasons.