The Washington Wizards finally have a future.
With the team parting ways with coach Scott Brooks on Wednesday after the latter's contract ended, maybe the Wizards can gain a fresh start with a coach who understands defense and in-game adjustments.
And that person may be Wes Unseld, Jr.
Yes, the son of the franchise's greatest player ever that led Washington to its only championship is the logical choice to replace Brooks. Unseld has been a gym rat since age five in the Washington locker room while his father was then general manager. The younger Unseld wasn't much of a player, but then the senior Unseld wasn’t much of a coach or GM while his son is now seen as a rising star.
Unseld spent eight years as a Wizards personnel and advance scout before being elevated to assistant coach, where he was credited with developing offensive game plans. But, Unseld knew he was limited in Washington and left for Golden State in 2011 to become a front row bench coach. Unseld later didn't last one season in Orlando before the staff was fired and then joined Denver in 2015. The Nuggets rose from 28th to 10th in defense under the assistant coach.
The word is out on Unseld as a potential head coach. Cleveland interviewed him in 2019 along with the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago last season. Denver is reportedly seeking an interview with Unseld, so Washington needs to move on his candidacy.
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As for Brooks, it was more than time to move on and his contract ending made it simple and free for Washington to make a move. Brooks was only 183-207 since being hired in 2016. That first season was magical at 49-33 and seemingly an injury away from making the Eastern Conference finals. But Washington never reached the second round in two more postseasons and lost this year 4-1 to Philadelphia in the opening round.
Brooks' hire was supposed to attract Kevin Durant, who played for the coach in Oklahoma. But, Durant never looked at his hometown team as a free agent twice. The NBA is all about relationships and it seems Brooks and Durant weren't that tight. So, Brooks was left on his own merits and it wasn't enough. Washington was awful on defense, ranking last in points allowed the last two seasons, and seemed to start terribly each year. Oh, Washington played well down the stretch this year, but it evaporated in the postseason.
Unseld fixes some of the Wiz's problems, provides some name familiarity and could be a good head coach. He deserves a hard look.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.