Hoops Habit
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NBA: 5 coaches on the hot seat heading into 2019-20

By Jordan Foote

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 1: View of the game ball and This is Why We Play logo before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets on December 1, 2016 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 1: View of the game ball and This is Why We Play logo before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets on December 1, 2016 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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2. Scott Brooks

After an up-and-down seven seasons with the aforementioned Oklahoma City Thunder, Scott Brooks became the head coach of the Washington Wizards in 2016. Brooks was viewed by some as the guy to finally make Washington a championship contender by getting the most out of the team’s trio of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr.

Things didn’t go as planned. Although he led the team to a 49-win season and a trip to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in his first year, Brooks has coached 43 and 32-win squads since. The Wizards are trending in a negative direction and only one player out of the organization’s once-heralded trio will suit up in a Washington uniform this season.

Porter is now a member of the Chicago Bulls. Wall has been limited to 41 and 32 games in the past two seasons and could miss all of 2019-20 with a torn Achilles tendon. Beal has risen to borderline stardom in the NBA, but it could simply be a result of his increased usage. Again, things didn’t go as planned.

Brooks’ seat is as hot as any coach’s heading into this season. Should Washington sputter again and miss the playoffs in an Eastern Conference which hasn’t required much more than a .500 record in order to qualify in recent years, there could be a coaching change made. It’s difficult to win with a crucial piece of the puzzle missing, and Brooks may be a victim of that circumstance.