The Washington Wizards are still head coach-less. After deciding not to renew Scott Brooks’ contract and parting ways after five seasons, the Wizards are hunting for a head coach for the first time since 2016.
It was nearly two weeks after the conclusion of Brooks’s fifth and final season before the Wizards officially decided enough was enough. That type of patience seemed a bit odd, as other franchises announced their new vacancies and got a head start on the Wizards. However, based on general manager Tommy Sheppard’s comments during media availability after the Brooks decision, it sounds like the Wizards will take a similarly measured approach as they decide who their next head coach will be:
"I don’t like to get sped up. I think patience is a competitive advantage and I think we’re going to go through this very thoroughly."
Early reports have linked Wes Unseld Jr and Sam Cassell as frontrunners for the Wizards job, and Scott Morrison has also reportedly been interviewed. Although other teams — the Celtics, Mavericks, and Pacers — have already found their new head coach and, despite three other teams (the Magic, Pelicans, and Trail Blazers) also looking for a new head coach in this competitive market, the Wizards are in no rush.
The Wizards need to nail this coaching pick and make the right decision, not the quick decision. With Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal ready to win now, and young prospects like Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, and Daniel Gafford still in need of some development, the Wizards are in a precarious place.
Beal is under contract for at least one more season. He has a $37 million player option for the 2022-23 season, and the Wizards can offer him a massive four-year, $181 million extension soon. The right coach could convince Beal to sign the extension and stick around. The wrong one could have him running for greener pastures.
Whoever the Wizards decide on will hopefully enjoy sustained success as the head coach in the nation’s capital. But, for that to happen, they’ll need to bring these three traits to the sidelines.
Here are three traits that the next head coach of the Washington Wizards must have…
Must-have Trait #3: Defensive Acumen
Strategically, there is no denying what has been the Washington Wizards’ biggest weakness over the past few seasons. They have been bad on the defensive end. Like really bad. Although they improved slightly this past season, their rankings in the major defensive categories over the past three seasons speak for themselves.
Defensive Rating
- 2020-21:19th (113.0)
- 2019-20: 30th (115.5)
- 2018-19: 28th (113.9)
Opponent Points per Game
- 2020-21: 30th (118.5)
- 2019-20: 29th (119.1)
- 2018-19: 29th (116.9)
While scoring should rarely be a problem with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook leading the offense, the Wizards will not win if they cannot stop anyone. And they have shown a sustained inability to do just that.
The Wizards will need to make some personnel changes to truly fix their defensive issues. We saw the instant improvement when they got a dynamic shot-blocker in Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline. We would likely see similar overnight success if the Wizards were to add a legit wing defender, something they have been missing for some time. But personnel aside, the Wizards need to completely rethink their defensive approach. A new coach that puts a premium on defense is a must.
Must-have Trait #2: Relatability
At the end of his five-season stint with the Washington Wizards, Scott Brooks had a winning percentage under 0.500. He hadn’t led the team to 40 wins in three consecutive seasons. But he still had his supporters in the locker room and the front office. Both Russell Westbrook and Bradley Bal spoke highly of Brooks until the very end.
While there’s no reason to believe Beal or Westbrook will outright reject Brooks’ replacement, the new coach will need to win over the respect of the team’s All-Star backcourt if they’re going to have any success in Washington.
This Wizards team is built such that it will only go as far as Beal and Westbrook will take it. So having their buy-in is necessary for success. However, they’re veteran All-Stars, and will realistically only change so much, even under a new head coach. There are plenty of recent examples of head coaches losing the locker room: Lloyd Pierce in Atlanta, Nate Bjorkgren in Indiana, and Jim Boylen in Chicago.
All the strategy in the world won’t mean a thing if the coach can’t get buy-in from the players. So unless the Wizards want to make another head coaching hire in the very near future, they’ll need to make sure the new head coach is one who the players — particularly Westbrook and Beal — will respect and relate to.
Must-have Trait #1: Flexibility
In an ideal world, the new Washington Wizards head coach will come in and help the Westbrook/Beal combo achieve their greatest heights. The winning will convince Beal to stay in Washington for seasons to come, and all will be right with Wizards basketball.
But that’s in an ideal world. We don’t live in an ideal world, and there is a chance that that sequence of events does not play out in D.C. There is a chance that Beal does not sign an extension this offseason or next offseason. And there is a chance that the Wizards are forced to trade him or lose him in free agency. Either way, if Beal leaves, the Wizards will be forced to officially enter rebuild mode. If that happens, life will be far different for whoever is sitting in the head coach’s seat.
Instead of playoff pushes with an All-Star backcourt, it will likely be lottery seasons full of developmental trial and error. Whoever the Wizards bring in to replace Scott Brooks will need to be ready and willing to go down either path if need be. Otherwise, the Wizards could be doing this all over again a lot sooner than everyone would like.