New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green has been blessed with a locker room continuity that most first-time head coaches are not allowed. Just by the nature of the job and situation, young first-time coaches taking over a lottery team usually have to manage a great deal of roster turnover. Green's experience has been a bit different. Executive VP David Griffin and GM Trajan Langdon have kept the same core, the problem for the Pelicans has been having them all available for long stretches.

Green, Zion Williamson, and Brandon Ingram are in the midst of their third season together with the Pelicans. The supporting cast is coming together quite nicely after acquiring CJ McCollum. Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Jonas Valanciunas, Dyson Daniels, and Jordan Hawkins all know their roles and when to best assert themselves. Green is not worried about anyone complaining about minute allotments now that almost every key contributor can be called on every night.

When asked about the team's bonding and development this year as compared to when first taking the Pelicans job, Green told ClutchPoints, “You know the beauty in it is they are all growing up together. The more that you keep the foundation of a group together, the more they have an understanding of each other on and off the floor. It helps in crunch-time situations. It helps when you face adversity. This is a group that we all enjoy being around, we enjoy coaching. They are high character guys and now it's about continuing to grow together to build something special.”

The chemistry and understanding of where each teammate is in their career goes a long way to keep ego out of the conversations, especially as CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III return to the lineup. Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins have to respect that more established players that are coming back into the fold. They are still on rookie deals, trying to just prove they belong. So far, it is working out for the Pelicans. They are above .500 and still alive in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

Not that those conversations are needed for the Pelicans. This young team is growing up quickly, embracing the professional approach required to reach the franchise's championship goals. Green shared, “We have not had any of those conversations yet just because we are just starting to get these guys back. Those will be conversations we will have moving forward, once we get a better feel for who and how we want to play.”