Washington Wizards: 3 Reasons Scott Brooks Deserves More Credit For the Wizards’ Success
By Ben Mehic
Brooks weathered the storm
The Washington Wizards are sitting pretty comfortably in the fifth spot right now, and while their lead isn’t incredible – they’re only two games above .500 – it took some time for the team to get there.
At one point in the season, it seemed like the Wizards would have to change their route. In fact, some questioned whether or not it was time to trade John Wall and start tanking.
Given that the team failed to land a top free agent in the summer and were capped out, there wasn’t much room for improvement. The Wizards had what they had, and what they had wasn’t working.
On Wednesday, November 16, the Wizards lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, dropping to 2-8 on the season.
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Less than a month later against the Orlando Magic, the Wizards lost a home game after John Wall scored a career-high 52 points.
It seemed like the Wizards had hit rock bottom and couldn’t find a way out.
Through it all, Brooks maintained confidence in his team.
He didn’t throw in the towel, but instead continued to play with the lineups until he found something that worked.
Washington’s bench is still one of the worst – they’re last in scoring and field goal percentage – but Brooks has managed to find a happy medium, so to speak.
He’s stunted Markieff Morris‘ minutes, allowing him to become a go-to option with the second unit. He’s also given Kelly Oubre more of a chance to run with the starters, knowing that John Wall and Bradley Beal would allow the second-year player to find his rhythm without doing too much.
The Wizards have won 12 straight games at home. Washington won 10 of their 15 games in December.
If Brooks lost his voice – and many coaches would’ve – the Wizards never would’ve climbed out of their early-season hole. Randy Wittman lost the team last season when the losses piled up.
Somehow, Brooks kept an even-keeled attitude and the team bought in.