NBA Coach Hot Seat Watch: Who will be the next coach fired?

NBA Head Coach Hot Seat Watch: No. 2 – Scott Brooks, Washington Wizards

Scott Brooks won 338 games with the OKC Thunder over seven seasons, 62 percent of the games he coaches. In the playoffs, he had a winning record, a difficult feat for any coach but especially one who never won a title. He oversaw the development of three future MVPs and had multiple legitimate contenders held back by injuries.

There was a strong track record, in other words, suggesting that Brooks was a solid hire for the Washington Wizards in 2016. In five seasons with the team, he has won just 170 games, a much more sobering 45.6 percent. Injuries to John Wall have played a part, but overall his tenure has been a pretty clear failure.

Other than Bradley Beal, the franchise has failed to develop young talent. Otto Porter Jr. played well enough to earn a max offer sheet, but he is a dependent player who got hot from 3-point range at the right time. Other draft picks have languished on the vine, and the team just cut bait on Troy Brown, their 2018 first-round pick.

The Wizards made a win-now move this offseason, flipping John Wall and a first-round pick for Russell Westbrook. They re-signed Davis Bertans to a massive contract and brought in Robin Lopez and Raul Neto. The result? A 21-33 record, 12th in the Conference and seventh-worst in the league.

Brooks’ seat is uncomfortably warm, but it’s not on fire yet. Washington’s owner, Ted Leonsis, has historically been slow to move on from employees. Brooks’ predecessor, Randy Wittman, hung around for five seasons despite under-delivering on expectations each year. That reticence to fire coaches could buy Brooks just a little more time.