In this Dec. 28, 2014, file photo, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks yells from the sideline during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas. Two people familiar with the deal say the Washington Wizards have reached an agreement with Scott Brooks to become the team’s new coach, Thursday, April 21, 2016. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
It didn’t take the Washington Wizards long to find their next head coach, and the team hopes it doesn’t take him long to turn the franchise around.
The Wizards agreed to a five-year, $35-million deal with former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks on April 21, setting the team up to take a major swing at hometown star Kevin Durant when the perennial all-star hits free agency this summer. Brooks’ hire could serve multiple purposes, however, as the team tries to reestablish itself after failing to make the playoffs this past season.
Brooks’ link to Durant is obvious—Brooks served as the Thunder’s head coach from 2008 to 2015. But his work in player development was essential to Oklahoma City’s progress from a 23-59 team in the 2008-2009 season to a championship contender. Brooks was fired in April 2015 after the Thunder missed the playoffs for the first time in his tenure.
Despite the presence of Durant and fellow MVP candidate Russell Westbrook, Brooks helped develop other prominent NBA players such as James Harden, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson and Jeremy Lamb. With or without Durant, Brooks will be expected to help mold John Wall, Markieff Morris, and Kelly Oubre, as well as Bradley Beal if the team retains the soon-to-be restricted free agent guard. The Wizards desperately need their own players to improve if the club hopes to return to the playoffs. The possibility of luring Durant back to D.C. in free agency has been a popular topic around the District for the past few years, but the odds of pulling off such a seismic maneuver will be extremely slim.
Wall has grown into an all-star since the Wizards selected him first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft, but several of Washington’s other draft picks since that time haven’t developed as promised. Among Washington’s 2011 first-round draft class of Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton and Shelvin Mack, none are currently with the team. Otto Porter, third overall pick in the 2013 draft, has also failed to fulfill his promise.
Washington’s struggles to nurture and develop talent may lie in the front office and with oft-criticized general manager Ernie Grunfeld, but inking Brooks is definitely a step in the right direction. Former Wizards head coach Randy Wittman was lauded primarily for his defensive tactics than his player development skills or creative offensive sets. Brooks brings all three attributes to the Wizards; his Thunder teams often ranked in the upper half in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and several of the Thunder’s bench players went on to prosper in starting roles elsewhere.
Brooks’ insertion as head coach gives Washington immediate stability where they need it the most, but will that matter as long as Grunfeld still presides in Washington? Grunfeld’s track record of questionable moves outweighs the minor successes he’s enjoyed since landing in Washington back in 2003. Brooks’ track record in player development was largely aided by Oklahoma City mastermind general manager Scott Presti, who made numerous successful draft moves.
Aside from Wall and Beal, Grunfeld’s draft decisions have included hand-picking classic busts such as Vesely, JaVale McGee, Oleksiy Pecherov and Andray Blatche and even trading away the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft that produced Stephen Curry, who was taken seventh, and DeMar DeRozan, drafted ninth. Brooks could serve as a breath of fresh air for the Wizards—but will his hiring be suffocated by the smog that Grunfeld has laid around the franchise over the past few seasons?
