Washington Wizards: Is Scott Brooks’ time running out?
The Washington Wizards entered the 2018-19 season with promise, but now it looks like head coach Scott Brooks’ time may be running out.
Six games into the 2018-19 regular season and the Washington Wizards are 1-5 on the year. In their recent loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Wizards were a mess and the effort just wasn’t there as they fell, 136-104. Lackluster defense and 16-of-29 shooting from 3-point range by the Clippers did them in.
Kelly Oubre Jr. put up nine points but he was 2-of-12 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point range in arguably his worst game of the season. John Wall and Bradley Beal were their usual selves, but the rest of the team looked lost.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t hesitate to fire head coach Ty Lue after an 0-6 start and though Yahoo! Sports‘ Chris Haynes reports he still has the support of the front office, head coach Scott Brooks could be next if this continues.
As it stands for the Wizards, they’ve lost three straight games and look completely out of sync. Washington is eighth as a team in the league in scoring (116.8 points per game), but is 26th in rebounds (42.0 per game), 24th in assists (20.7 per game) and last in scoring defense (125.0 points per game). These numbers won’t cut it if Washington hopes to contend for the East.
Since a 144-122 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 24, this team has looked like it needs a new leader — off the court, that is. Wall has been his usual self although his assists are down, averaging 20.7 points, 7.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. The same can be said for Beal, who’s produced 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game through six contests. Their statistics aren’t the problem so much as their overall strategy.
Solving the defensive and rebounding woes
The defense and rebounding have fallen apart for the most part with this team. Last Friday, they were outscored 37-27 in the fourth quarter by the Sacramento Kings in a 106-102 loss. Brooks is going to have to take a risk somewhere in the rotation to improve things. The frontcourt is thin and nothing has been done to improve upon their weaknesses.
They were out-rebounded 49-39 on Sunday night by the Clippers. Washington is 93-76 (.550) under Brooks, but after taking a step back in 2017-18, they seem to be regressing even more as a team in 2018-19.
While the team has made the postseason twice in two seasons under Brooks, they’ve posted a record of 9-10. They haven’t gotten past any of the top teams in the East, let alone the second-tier teams. In the 2017 NBA Playoffs, they lost to Isaiah Thomas and the Celtics. Last season, they didn’t stand a chance against the Toronto Raptors.
This season, the Wizards look like they need a change outside of the players on the floor. It’s hard to point the finger at guys like Otto Porter Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr.. Although Porter is shooting just 21.7 percent from 3-point range, he can only go as far as his teammates take him. Wall and Beal’s assists averages are both down from a season ago.
Oubre has been their best player off the bench, but his role on defense has yet to be determined. He’s a player that can be a quality 3-and-D player if he was utilized correctly. Instead, Washington continues to surrender the most points in the league.
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Dwight Howard returning from injury wouldn’t change much for this group. It could be time for a change on the coaching staff just three seasons in. It’s early, but we’ve also been here before. Back in 2016-17, the Wizards began the season 1-5 before finishing 49-33 and fourth in the Eastern Conference. There’s plenty of time left but Brooks’ may be running out. It may be worth it to look into whose available on the head coaching market before this group completely falls apart.