Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Coaching, free agents, and more!

3. Is Scott Brooks the right coach for this team?

So this is a question that I know a lot of Washington Wizards fans have been contemplating, so thank you for asking @skrasz! The first thing I want to come out and say is this: There is a 100% chance that Scott Brooks finishes out his contract in DC.

He is under contract until the end of the 2020-2021 season, so we will see him at the minimum until then.

When new management comes in, typically they have full authority to bring in the coaching staff that they want to run with. Tommy opted to stay with Brooks so that’s what it is. In a year continually focused on development, Brooks is not really on the hot seat considering the Wiz were not expecting to be good this season.

Something that will be interesting to see will be the situation if the Wizards make the playoffs. If they end up making it into the post season, Tommy may be more inclined to stick with Brooks to give him a few more seasons with this younger group that will have over performed.

Personally, I have never been a huge Brooks fan, especially in DC. His strange rotations at times and lack of offensive half-court sets have been infuriating. However, after not having Ernie Grunfeld breathing down his neck to compete for the eighth seed, Brooks has actually done a solid job THIS season.

He has given the young guys more opportunities and been more free-flowing with who sees the floor. The development of guys like Mo Wagner and Rui Hachimura have given Brooks a little bit of breathing room.

After his contract is up however, the situation should be interesting. My gut feeling tells me that Brooks does not come back though. If they do decide to go into another direction with a head coach, that decision will depend on the state of the franchise.

A developmental coach who is here for a rebuild is much different from a coach here to win. A lot of things can change in a year and a half.

Personally, I don’t think anyone has ever gone wrong with a coach from the Gregg Popovich tree. So Becky Hammon would be an interesting name that may float around. She has shown that she is currently a top assistant and has done a nice job leading the way in the few games Pop has gotten tossed from.

If the Wizards are still in the playoff mix another name to consider is Mark Jackson. He has shown over the years that he can work with both young and veteran teams so he may be a good fit regardless.

With the coaching market subject to change by the Summer of 2021 its tough to call who may be the Washington Wizards’ ultimate head coach. I am not sure that Brooks should be the guy at the helm but the market may be a factor.

Regardless of who will be the coach in 2021, we should assume that Scott Brooks will have the job until then.