Mailbox Monday is back and this week we will be answering questions from Washington Wizards fans in regards to Scott Brooks, Anzejs Pasecniks and more.
That’s right, baby! Mailbox Monday is back here at Wiz of Awes! Our resident Washington Wizards experts are dedicated to taking your questions all week, and every Monday going forward we’ll try our very best to give you the answers you’re dying to know!
Phew, what an all-star break we’ve had, huh? It was an awesome showing for Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner on Friday, followed by an INTENSE Saturday night full of long distance accuracy from your very own Davis Bertans and high-flying dunks from Derrick Jones Jr. and the absolutely robbed Aaron Gordon, then it ended with an absolutely crazy all-star game featuring a new format.
But now it’s time to turn our attentions back to the basketball that actually matters. And for Washington Wizards basketball that means meaningful games that will, hopefully, lead to meaningful playoff games down the stretch.
The Washington Wizards are in a really interesting spot, just a few games out of the playoffs but without their primary star in John Wall and with a lot of young talent that’s in need of development. While it’s tough to convince fans that tanking is in their best interest, some are clamoring for just that.
Thus, the fans have questions! Luckily, the Wizard of Awes team has answers.
This week, you’ve hit us with some good ones. From coaching to roster management, Washington Wizards fans posed some tough questions this week.
Make sure going forward that you tweet us at @WizofAwes and include the hashtag #MailbagMonday if you would like to have your question answered! We can’t answer them all, but we’ll do our very best to get to as many as humanly possible and get you these answers as fast as we can.
With that being said, lets dive right into the mailbag!
1. Will Anžejs Pasečņiks be in the rotation?
By the end of his two year deal, will we see Pasecniks in the rotation? From a big AP fan
— Patrick (@PatrickDurall) February 13, 2020
A quality first question from @PatrickDurrall in regards to the Washington Wizards seven footer. As pointed out, Anzejs Pasecniks recently was converted from a two-way contract to a multi-year deal with the Wiz.
In his stint with the Wizards thus far, AP is averaging 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20 games. He has shown some promise and has played well, however him receiving a spot in the rotation may be out of his hands.
The Wizards recently signed Thomas Bryant to a three-year contract so barring any big moves, it seems like he will be the man to start at Center. Behind him, Moritz Wagner has been a pleasant surprise for the Wizards and has really come on as a quality piece for the Wizards moving forward.
With that being said, it seems like these two will command a majority of the minutes at center. With both of these guys still developing and looking to improve, it may be a numbers game with AP.
The one thing that AP does have going for him is he has one skill set that can’t be taught: He is really good at being tall. All jokes aside, AP’s size gives him the ability to clog the lane and block shots.
So for that reason, I do believe he will still be on the team moving forward, especially with Ian Mahinmi most likely on the way out. If AP continues to develop and improves we may see his minutes spike.
However, it seems like the Wizards like what they have in Bryant and Wagner. It also doesn’t help that the Wizards have two guys in Rui Hachimura and Davis Bertans who will take up the Power Forward position and may see a lot of the floor if the Wizards decide to go small.
But AP will still get his chances. On any given night with someone in foul trouble or injuries, AP will most likely see the floor and I think the Washington Wizards coaching staff has the confidence in him to come in to defend and rebound.
However, as stated above, with two young guys in front of him that the Wizards are dedicated to developing, AP might be the odd man out of the rotation in a crowded front court.
2. Who will the Wizards add with their MLE?
Tell me one player the Zards will add this summer in FA with the MLE
— Ludovico Sposato (@ludo_sp) February 13, 2020
Another great question from @ludo_sp. I really love this question, in part because I’m a salary cap nerd.
So as most of us know, the Washington Wizards do not have a lot of cap space to play with this summer. What little space they do have, they will end up using all of it in the attempt to bring Davis Bertans back.
So if you are not aware, the MLE (Mid Level Exception) is granted to teams who are over the salary cap but have not yet hit the hard tax apron. The projection for the MLE this summer is going to be in the ballpark of $9.5 million which the Wizards can use in a variety of ways and theoretically does not have to all be used on one player.
Sticking with the question though there are a few guys who I have in mind. If I were the GM, I would be focusing on a veteran wing in free agency who brings a defensive presence. With the Washington Wizards bringing back a majority of their team from this season, scoring should not be an issue.
With a team that is looking to get back into the playoff picture, Washington is currently ranked 22nd in team defense, and will need a spark defensively. With the point guard, power forward and center positions locked up for the most part, a wing is probably what’s needed.
So with that, my dream get with the MLE right now is Maurice Harkless. Currently with the Knicks, Harkless has shown over the years that he can be a lockdown defender. At 6’8 Harkless is a long armed defender who can guard multiple positions and whose wingspan is also a whopping 7’2.
Going into what will be his 9th season at age 27, Harkless also has a lot of playoff experience after his years in Portland where he saw a lot of important minutes. Outside of his ability to defend, Harkless is a good slasher which will be important when the Wizards stretch the floor out with the likes of Bertans, Wagner and Jerome Robinson in the second unit.
A defensive-minded wing is the type of guy the Wizards need and Harkless will most likely be available and may not even cost the full MLE. If he is not the answer, there are a few other names that would be interesting such as Evan Turner and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who I really wanted the Wiz to go after last summer.
Tristan Thompson may be out of MLE price range, but if they could squeeze him in there that would be interesting as well but I don’t know if that happens. The MLE is pretty much all the Wizards have to chase free agents but with that there are still a few guys out there who would be very important adds to a team trying to get back into the playoff hunt.
3. Is Scott Brooks the right coach for this team?
Is Brooks the long term answer at HC for Wizards? If not who maybe on Sheppards radar?
— Scott Kraszewski (@skrasz) February 13, 2020
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.