Dear Wes Unseld Jr:
I am writing to you today because you have been named the new head coach of the Washington Wizards after a thorough coaching search that left no stone unturned. Congratulations. This is an exciting and well-deserved opportunity for you, not only because you get to coach two superstars in Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal, but because this fan base is so jaded and broken that you will not have to do much to make us like you more than the last guy.
That being said, I have some notes for you. Yes, you are far more qualified than I am. Yes, your father’s number hangs in the rafters. Yes, you have spent much more time around the game than I ever will. Yes, you will read most of these and undoubtedly roll your eyes.
You do not even have to read them if you do not want to—but I have watched a lot of Wizards basketball. Some might say too much Wizards basketball. My daughter won’t be born until the start of next season, and she is already sick of it.
What I am trying to say is, I have seen some things.
So as you take your first steps as the new head coach of the Washington Wizards, feel free to consider the following suggestions. I only ask that you cite your sources in the post-game interviews. If you want to refer to me as Assistant to the Coach Caleb Sarvis, I will take that as well.
1. Give Deni Avdija time as the backup point guard
Prior to the 2020 NBA draft, Deni Avidija’s main strength seemed to be his playmaking ability. He never averaged a high number of assists, but anyone who watched tape could see that he thrives with the ball in his hands. He has a natural feel for pace and a well-timed passing touch. The prior coaching staff seemed hell-bent on playing him as a spot-up small forward, which didn’t make any sense, nor did it seem to work. Avdija shot 31.7 percent on catch-and-shoot threes last season, per NBA stats.
Not all wings are made the same. Last season, Avdija looked most comfortable when he played without Beal or Westbrook and could take the ball up the floor and get the offense started. The same thing happened with Troy Brown Jr. before he was traded to Chicago.
He is not as quick as Westbrook or Ism Smith, or even Raul Neto, but that’s okay. He knows how to create plays for others and might function best in the pick-and-roll with either Bryant or Gafford while being flanked by a shooter like Bertans. When the lane opens up for him, you might be surprised by how well he finishes.
By the way. Speaking of Westbrook, Smith, and Neto…
2. Throw away the entire notion of the three-guard lineup
Just trust me on this one. No one deserves to feel that pain again.
3. Let (and encourage) Rui Hachimura to cook
Really, moving the ball more could solve this entire problem, but more on that in a second.
In the regular season, Rui Hachimura’s true shooting percentage was a solid 54 percent. That was fourth among Wizards who averaged 20 or more minutes per game, behind hyper-efficient scorers like Thomas Bryant, Davis Bertans, and Bradley Beal. The other bigs (Gafford, Len, Lopez) are up there too, but none averaged 20 minutes per game thanks to the three-center rotation.
However, Hachimura’s number of shot attempts per game (11.4) is almost half of Bradley Beal’s (23) and eight fewer than Russell Westbrook’s (19). Something has to change, coach.
Take a look at the playoff numbers. While the sample size is small, Hachimura’’s true shooting percentage jumped to 70(!) percent. However, he averaged two fewer shot attempts than he did during the regular season as the backcourt continued to dominate the ball. Meanwhile, Westbrook’s true-shooting percentage dropped to 46. percent
Now, part of this is Hachimura’s fault. Wizards fans will tell you that he passes up open looks and can be afraid to shoot the ball from deep—but that’s why you are here, Coach Unseld. It’s going to be up to you to not only create those open looks for him but to empower him to shoot them. He showed vast improvement between years one and two. Year three is an opportunity for him to make a leap as a reliable third option on this team.
Maybe he sets more screens and works as a dangerous roller. Maybe he operates out of the elbow like Blake Griffin learned to do. I’ll leave the details up to you, but I’m sure part of it starts with moving the damn ball.
4. For the love of G-Wiz, move the ball
If you can convince players to move when the ball is not in their hands, you will achieve what was once believed impossible.
Now I’ll admit, I’m no basketball mastermind. I understand the pick-and-roll, pin downs, and other offensive emotions, but I couldn’t tell you how to make it sink in with the more stubborn players. But what I can tell you is this. The Wizards’ offense lacked some serious creativity, and it started with the lack of ball movement.
The Wizards averaged 267 passes per game in the regular season, good for fourth-worst in the league. Despite having the assists champion on their team, Russell Westbrook, they ranked a middling 13th in assists per game. But of course, the Wizards did not have the most potent weapons on their team, so what about potential assists per game? Surely they at least tried to get others involved?
They actually drop down a spot to 14th on that list. Not the worst, but also not very conducive to winning basketball.
This team lacks an offensive identity outside of “The backcourt is pretty good. Let’s roll with that,” so anything you come up with should be an improvement. Just come up with anything, really. Please.
5. Good luck, Wes Unseld Jr.
All this being said, I’m happy to welcome you to the Washington Wizards. We’re a broken bunch, but we mean well and can’t wait to see what you do with this roster. From Bradley Beal to the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft, the Wizards have plenty of potential. They just need a coach like you to bring it out of them.
Sincerely,
Assistant to the Coach,
Caleb Sarvis