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Randy Wittman Truly Being Tested

By Brayden Neubauer

Dec 11, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Randy Wittman against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Wizards 107-105. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Randy Wittman against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Wizards 107-105. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the Washington Wizards being short-handed due to injuries, there’s quite a bit of pressure on coach Randy Wittman.

This has without question been a difficult season so far for the Washington Wizards, largely due to the mass amount of injuries that have fallen over the team.

With guys like Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, Nene Hilario, Drew Gooden, and Alan Anderson all missing significant time, it’s caused the Wizards to fall into a hole that they didn’t exactly expect to be in after making it to the conference semifinals two seasons in a row.

So, where does that put Randy Wittman? NBA front offices have put so much importance on coaching as of late that making it to the second round isn’t good enough. Even when a team is riddled with injuries, no coaching job is safe. Wittman is under quite a bit of pressure to get this short-handed team going, as his coaching ability is already in question.

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Dating back to last season, there has been talk of the Wizards needing to fire Wittman. Bill Simmons went as far as saying he’s “a terrible coach …. He’s not good at coaching basketball” when he went on Tony Kornheiser’s ESPN 980 program in March of this year. While many have gone on record criticizing his coaching ability, Wittman has a chance to prove himself this season.

With so many guys out, Wittman is being forced to play small ball with only seven really healthy players, but this has led to the Wizards playing perhaps their best ball of the season. Opposing teams have no choice but to adjust when Wittman is playing lineups with Jared Dudley at the 5, and it may be working.

Now, take this with a grain of salt, because it is such a small sample size, but here are some stats for the Wizards over the past two games; wins over the Hornets and the Kings:

Per NBA.com, the Wizards trail only the Spurs and Warriors in offensive rating (113.5), are top six in defensive rating (98.7), second in assist percentage, and No. 1 in assist ratio (assists per 100 possessions). They also sit in the top spot in both effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage.

Again, it’s only two games, but if the Wizards can keep this up and begin to put themselves in a position to make the post season when they have a full squad, Wittman’s job may be safe for a little bit longer.

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All of that being said, Wittman doesn’t exactly have a choice with the lineups he’s been playing, and it may not be the best indication of his coaching ability. His back is against the wall and there are still significant issues to be solved on the defensive end, even when the team is fully healthy. Whatever the case may be, this season is a true test for Washington’s coach.

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