The Washington Wizards rough season continues following their 137-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
As bad as the Wizards looked on their home floor against Dallas, it's suprisingly not the worst they've looked this season; and that's saying a lot. There's no way to sugar coat it, Washington has looked very bad and their 2-18 record reflects their play perfectly. Of course injuries have impacted the way they have played as of late, but there's no denying the roster in Washington is just plain out bad.
Obviously the offseason is what the Wizards are looking ahead to with the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes heating up, but this season as still a pivotal year in their rebuild to see where the young players on the roster stood. And as of now, aside from their rookie class, there's no clear player on the roster that general manager Will Dawkins must hold on to.
That said, here's a look at three growing questions after the Wizards lackluster start.
1) Is Brian Keefe still the answer at head coach?
The Wizards hired Brian Keefe as the team's head coach in the offseason after serving as the interim head coach last year. At the time, the move seemed like a good idea with returning players on the roster, at least to see what the first-year head coach could become.
However, through the start of the season, Keefe has not looked like he could be the team's leader at nearly any point. His lineup changes have raised questions, in-game adjustments seem non apparent and the coaching staff seems to be out-coached on a nightly basis.
Of course the talent on the roster has to do with the outcomes of these games, but Keefe has to do his part as well and so far he hasn't. With tough decions that need to be made, it will be interesting to see if general manager Will Dawkins considers Keefe has the longterm fit for his young team.
2) Are the Wizards tanking on purpose? (hopefully)
The Wizards have looked bad, and it makes you wonder if the team is tanking on purpose. Obviously the league would investigate this if they could tell it was on purpose, but the way Washington has been losing with no visible frustration, it's questionable.
It would be hard to convince any player with a competitive drive to lose nightly, but at this point, it looks like the mentality of this roster.
3) Should Jordan Poole be added to Wizards players on the trade market?
Jordan Poole entered this season with high hopes after the coaching staff handed him the keys to the team early. The Michigan product started the year off hot, but has since returned to his inefficient way. At 25-years-old, he is stuck inbetween fitting the team's rebuild and serving as a veteran on a hopeful contender's bench.
At what point do the Wizards cut their losses and end the Poole experiment?