Would Former Nuggets Head Coach Solve Pelicans’ Problems?

The Baltimore native was a polarizing prospect, but he’s been nicknamed ‘Baby Jokic’ for a reason. Much like Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (6-foot-11, 235 pounds), who has also shared that moniker, Queen truly has the potential to be a star player. Also similar to Jokic and Sengun, Queen’s athleticism isn’t blowing anyone away. Yet, if there’s any coach that knows how to maximize a player like that, it’s Malone.

There’s also the matter of the Pelicans’ 2026 first-round pick, which they shipped (without protections) to the Hawks for Queen. It may not bother them that other teams think it’s easy to get over on them, and if they truly have faith in Queen then it shouldn’t. But because of the implications, it does put more pressure on him and Pelicans to succeed, if not excel. Ultimately, it becomes another reason why New Orleans should consider replacing Green with Malone.

Michael Malone’s A Proven Winner

If Green wasn’t respected, he would have never gotten the head coaching gig or been able to keep the job despite the team’s recent shortcomings.

Interestingly, he had a better win percentage (.451) in first four seasons as a head coach than Malone (.415). In his first four seasons, his teams were above .500 in as many seasons (two) as Malone’s were in six. However, Malone’s not just respected, he’s recently won a championship. More to the point, he’s proven he can consistently lead a team to and deep into the playoffs.

Just consider, the Pelicans have only had two playoff appearances under Green, winning two of the 10 games they’ve played. Comparatively, Malone coached the Nuggets to the playoffs six straight times, amassing a 44-36 record.

Finishing The Parallels

Just as Queen can be Malone’s Joker, Jeremiah Fears can be his Jamal Murray. Like Murray, Fears is a natural (one could even say fearless) scorer and ball-handler. Murray has a more pristine 3-ball than Fears. Even so, both have enough quickness and skill to light up the scoreboard while keeping teammates involved. If Malone establishes a Fears-Queen two-man game that looks anything like Murray and Jokic’s, it’ll go a long way.

If Queen is Jokic’s parallel and Fears is Murray’s, then Zion Williamson is Aaron Gordon‘s. Both are hybrid forwards, have a multi-faceted impact and are insanely athletic. Williamson is more suited to carry a team than Gordon was but does need to learn how to be a winning player. For Gordon, that meant focusing on defense, as well as being more of a play-finisher and playmaker than shot-creator. That could be the case for Williamson as well.

Next up in the House of Mirrors is Trey Murphy III and Michael Porter Jr., who share more than fathers who wanted to pass down their name. Murphy is a better defender than Porter, though the latter made definitive strides at that end with Malone’s prodding. Nevertheless, they both have a soft outside jumper and aren’t afraid to let it fly. They can also make plays off the dribble, meaning opposing teams have to be extra wary of the ball being in their hands.

Lastly, Herb Jones can play a role similar to Christian Braun or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, Jones’s frame is more similar to Braun’s (6-foot-6, 218 pounds) than Caldwell-Pope’s (6-foot-5, 204 pounds). Far from trivial, this theoretically allows Jones to have more success against bigger wings. However, all three wings are defensive-minded players that fit the 3-and-D archetype.