THE NBA FINALS ARE FINALLY HERE 🏆🔥
Will NYC get their first ring in 53 years? Or will the Spurs start a new dynasty? 👀
Game 1 starts TONIGHT. Who's winning it all? 🤔
I take notes on every introductory press conference I watch. NFL, NBA, MLB, College Sports... Just trying to excavate any bit of value that leader may share.
Here are my notes from new @PelicansNBA head coach Jamahl Mosley introductory press conference:
Theme: "Not skipping steps."
Opening Statement:
“Not going to skip steps. Greatness has to be step by step.”
-He repeatedly connected winning to discipline, repetition, and habits rather than talent alone.
-His belief is that culture is not something announced publicly, but something earned privately through consistent work.
“Culture is built not by the words you say but by the work you put in. And it’s daily.”
-Defensive identity will require daily discipline
-Habits create standards
-Sustainable success comes from process, not shortcuts
-Every day matters in team building
He described the Pelicans as a team “on the cusp,” but emphasized that even talented teams cannot bypass development.
“There’s not one team or player that skips steps and wins a championship.”
On Personal Growth as a Coach:
“I’m constantly trying to tell the truth to myself and have others around me who tell me the truth.”
-He believes self-awareness and organizational honesty create long-term improvement.
-The rate of growth within his program becomes the competitive advantage.
4 Non-Negotiables:
1. Respect your teammates by being on time. On time on the court, in rotations, to film, on passes.
2. Out work. We will not be out worked.
3. How you present yourself to your teammates everyday, is important. Your energy, how you carry yourself, it’s contagious.
4. Communication. Real honest conversations. Never ask to do something you wouldn’t do. It’s about getting a job done and creating a standard of what you’re trying to accomplish.
-consistently returned to accountability and honest communication as pillars of winning environments.
“The consistent habits of us being great is going to be us holding each other accountable, high levels of communication, real conversations that help us all grow towards a championship.”
He wants an environment where:
players can challenge each other,
coaches can confront players honestly,
and truth is not taken personally.
He emphasized that growth accelerates when honesty becomes normalized.
On What Drew Him to New Orleans:
-Genuine ownership
-Front office alignment
-Shared vision
-Players wanting to be coached hard
He said he could immediately feel from conversations with players that they wanted accountability and growth.
“They want to be coached at a high level.”
"The alignment, the genuine people in ownership and the front office. Those elements trickling into the locker room. The clear vision already in place and the culture that can be created around that."
"Got on the phone with some of the players, could feel in their spirit, they want to be coached at a high level. They’re wanting to go in a certain direction."
"Details, discipline, defense get you over the top."
-Togetherness in the roster will be important to produce that accountability needed to win.
On where his work ethic came from:
“My mother, I watched her work tirelessly taking care of my brother and I. We knew not to complain, go to work, and get the job done. Simple as that. It’s about the example you set by actions, not by your words. We talk about wanting to do things. But it’s the work you put in that shows. I don’t want to be out worked, we don’t want to be out worked. That’s our staple.”
-You have to want it, speaks about inner fire, something that motivates you to get to greatness. Has to be innate. They’ll try to scout this in the draft and free agency.
-Standards are modeled before they are taught.
On Coaching Style:
Mosley openly discussed having a confrontational teaching style.
The confrontation is not personal.
It’s competitive. The standard is winning.
He wants players who:
can be coached hard,
can handle criticism,
can challenge each other,
and can move forward without ego.
“Don’t be afraid of getting knocked down or knocking someone else down.”
At the same time, he emphasized emotional balance and locker room chemistry.
“Don’t take self too seriously.”
He wants players able to:
laugh together,
joke together,
accept criticism,
and stay connected through adversity.
-Looking in Draft and Free Agency for High standards + emotional security.
The overall vision sounded less like a “talent-first” rebuild and more like a culture-first program built around habits and accountability utilizing the current roster to mold into those values..
So in
2022 Boston beat Miami in the ECF
2023 Miami beat Boston in the ECF
2024 Boston beat Indiana in the ECF
2025 Indiana beat New York in the ECF
2026 New York on the verge of beating Cleveland in the ECF
The journey is the journey and it's hard to skip steps.
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What coach hasn't been influenced by Pop and the 2013-14 Spurs' "Motion Weak"? 📝🍿
▪️Loop the PG & Swing
▪️Cross Screen → Down Screen
High school. College. Pros. There's a reason it's called "America's Play"