Inside The Wizards

Should Wizards Make Next HC Change?

With the recent firings of Taylor in Memphis and Malone in Denver, should the Washington Wizards move on from Keefe?
Apr 2, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe (R) looks on from the bench against the Sacramento Kings in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Apr 2, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe (R) looks on from the bench against the Sacramento Kings in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The NBA is making changes. Should the Washington Wizards be next?

Successful head coaches are being fired at a rapid rate this season. Early on it was Mike Brown in Sacramento, and now, within the last few weeks, the Grizzlies have fired Taylor Jenkins, and the Nuggets did the same to Mike Malone.

All three coaches had winning records when they were fired, and all three could find new opportunities. The Wizards are finishing up their second rebuilding season and will look to be a better team next season. Should the front office consider moving on from Brian Keefe, and would one of the recently fired coaches even consider Washington?

Give Brian Keefe a chance to develop into a Head Coach

Before Brian Keefe came to Washington, he brought a resume where he had a hand in the development of players such as Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Brandon Ingram, and the DMV's own Kevin Durant. Now he's a Head Coach, and in many ways, he's developing young talent and he's developing into a Head Coach. He's still learning how to run his own staff. The players have bought into his culture, standard, and system, but has the fanbase?

The Wizards' GM Will Dawkins mentioned it in the beginning that they were going to take their time with the rebuild and not cut any corners, so why would they fire their head coach after one season? You at least give him another season to see if he's the long-term answer but you don't fire him after this season.

Why would Jenkins or Malone want to come to DC?

Some fans are debating why the Wizards don't make a move for one of the recently fired coaches, but two questions arise. Why not have patience with the current head coach considering the Wizards won't be good till at least another 2-3 seasons? Two, why would Taylor Jenkins or Mike Malone want to go from a contender to a lottery hopeful?

It's easy to plug and play in NBA2K but certain factors matter in the real NBA. Phil Jackson never wanted to coach a rebuilding team, and when the Lakers moved on from Shaq, Jackson left as well because he didn't want to be around for a rebuild. You can say the same for Doc Rivers after he won a chip with the Celtics.

The Wizards have the right coach for the right moment. They're aquiring, developing, and building a young team that is loaded with talent and looks to add more in the upcoming draft. Brian Keefe is the right coach to lead this core, so people should give him patience and not live in the moment. Just because a coach found success somewhere else does not mean they'll find the same level of success here. The future is already in the building.

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Brandon Scott
BRANDON SCOTT

Brandon is a credentialed media member for the Washington Wizards, with work as the host of the Locked On Wizards Podcast and with Bleacher Report. Raised in Virginia, right outside of Washington, D.C. He served 7 years in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman and served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division.