Wizards' Brian Keefe Keeps Earning Trust During Successful Stretch

If casual NBA fans were tasked with naming every head coach across the league, Brian Keefe would probably be the last man named, and that's if he's remembered at all.

Such is the plight of Washington basketball; he wasn't some big-name legend of the league called upon to manage a marquee squad, but rather a promoted interim coach who's managed the Wizards' ongoing rebuild with a lot more grace than many of his peers would have in his position.

Even while the team failed to crack the 20-win threshold in either of the seasons he finished out with the franchise, the front office's near-unparalleled commitment to patience resulted in their sticking with someone they believed to be the right man to nurse the innumerable budding prospects up to NBA standards. Raising nearly an entire lineup at once isn't easy, making it that much more remarkable that the young core has started stacking wins following their various leaps.

Washington Wizards Head Coach Brian Keefe — Oct 30, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe gestures to his team during a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Wizards' 3-20 start to the season is a distant memory to these guys, who've finally figured out how to parlay their carefully-cultivated foundation into occasional wins. They've captured six wins in their last 10 tries, as well as four of their last five, as Keefe is finally captaining a semi-successful ship.

Keefe's Humble Beginnings

Keefe first rose to control of the on-court Wizards midway through the 2023-24 season, right in the midst of Washington's first year taking the rebuild seriously.

They were one of the league's worst teams, hosting a directionless scheme split between journeymen and veterans with whom Washington had no long-term interest. Young recent draftees like Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert could stick around, but he didn't have much to work with in making his case as an actual NBA-caliber signal-caller.

Snap ahead to 2026, where the Wizards, younger than ever, added on to their heroic New Year's Eve victory in Milwaukee with a resounding blowout over the Brooklyn Nets. Keefe is reiterating the importance of starting with defense before and after every game

I asked Justin Champagnie the biggest thing he’s learned from Brian Keefe so far (thread):

“Defense wins games. If we don’t come to play on defense, then it won’t happen.” pic.twitter.com/kq8gbgZ4Og
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) January 3, 2026

His philosophies are backed up in some of the chances that the reinvigorated Wizards have experienced in recent weeks. They were operating as one of the premier offenses from a pace standpoint, running in transition whenever they could, but their sudden decision to slow down and provide more room for defense to set up has manifested in an approach that lends itself to making more defensive disruptions.

Lineup Tweaks of Note

He's still going to irk the fans whenever one of the score-first veterans like CJ McCollum or Khris Middleton starts soaking up a few too many of the Wizards' precious shots, but he's working with the front office to advertise asset value and provide some necessary leadership to a rotation that's combined to do very little at the NBA level. And even there, he's discovered better balances in how to diversify the shots between the experience creators and the budding playmakers.

Even the all-bench lineups, which Keefe's begun turning to as early as the first quarter of some of these recent outings, have served as auditions for some of the fringe pieces to make their cases as fixtures of the lineup. Rookie creator Will Riley has clearly passed the sniff test, taking all of Kispert's minutes as the wing recovers from a finger injury, while AJ Johnson's recently superseded Malaki Branham as the last rotational guard off of the bench.

Washington Wizards Guard Will Riley — Dec 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Will Riley (27) with the ball against Phoenix Suns guard Jordan Goodwin (23) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Above all, Wizards fans have finally seen some change to how some of the prized pieces were being used. Kyshawn George is at his best as a point-forward, so he's been trusted as the primary earlier and earlier into these games. Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson are better-off as on-ball threats, ending several ugly stints as off-ball contributors in trusting the young guards to playmake and score in taking control of their own rhythm.

After several years of complaining about the Wizards' endless stream of losing, the most recent uninspiring chapter in the annals of one of the most disappointing North American sports franchises, the fans have an all-new situation to wrap their heads around.

Now, some are completely changing their tune to arguing that they may be winning too much. The fact that their top-eight protected pick, the one that goes to the New York Knicks if the Wizards slip too far in the lottery drawing process, can be attributed to Keefe's proving himself as the man equipped to continue guiding Washington out of anonymity and back to their historic spot as a hub for competitive hoops.

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