Many fans of the Washington Wizards have suggested firing Head Coach Brian Keefe after only his first full season. Much of the reasoning for doing so is based on game-time decisions that led to losses. The major issue is that the Wizards are trying to lose games and develop their young talent. The latter point is Keefe’s strongest attribute.

Keefe, 26-95 in his first season and a half as head coach, is well-renowned for his ability as a developmental coach. He has coached rising stars such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Durant even credited much of his success to Keefe in 2016: ” Work ethic, being a professional, he wouldn’t take any credit for it, but he taught me everything I know,” Said the former MVP. “How I approach shootarounds, practices, games, workout sessions… just changed my mindset.”

Despite A Slow Start With the Wizards Record-Wise, The Results Are Showing

So far, he has done wonders for the development of the young Wizards. For evidence, look no further than Kyshawn George, a player few had on their radar at the beginning of the season but ended the season as one of the draft’s biggest steals. In December, George was only averaging 8.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game on terrible shooting splits; however, by the end of the season, he had solidified himself as one of the premier defenders in the NBA. He also improved his averages to 11 points, 3.5 assists, and 5.3 rebounds with much better efficiency in April.

Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington also became much more aggressive as scorers as the season wore on. Both players were named to an All-Rookie team after the conclusion of their first NBA campaign. Like George, both Wizards rookies saw a large increase in production from the beginning of the season. Sarr even had an argument for Rookie of the Year before an ankle injury removed him from the race.

Another player who grew tremendously under the tutelage of Keefe is AJ Johnson, a rookie acquired at the trade deadline alongside Khris Middleton. Despite not cracking the rotation with the Milwaukee Bucks, Johnson became a key contributor for the Wizards, averaging 9.1 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.4 rebounds for the team. These are solid numbers for an extremely raw prospect who showed consistent flashes of star potential.

The Wizards’ Rookies Aren’t The Only Players Benefitting From Keefe

Even some of the vets on the current roster have high praise for the first-year head coach. “BK did a tremendous job,” said point guard Jordan Poole. “Credit to him for rallying our guys together through a long season, playing players to their strengths all across our team, and keeping guys together. He did a really good job of allowing me to play my true position and play more on ball.”

With Keefe at the helm, Poole exploded for the best season of his career with averages of 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds with a true shooting percentage of 59.1% while playing the best defense of his career. He did this in less than 30 minutes per night.

Brian Keefe has also been key in guiding young star Bilal Coulibaly’s growth in his second year in the league. In year two, Coulibaly saw his production go up across the board despite a slight dip in efficiency. There were several points in this last season where the French forward looked like a star, including his first career triple-double and several career highs.

Coaching consistency is incredibly important for the development of young players. Several teams over the past decade and a half had hauls of young talent that failed to pan out, partially due to coaching inconsistency. The New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, and Detroit Pistons all went through several head coaches over the past 15 years and have largely struggled to develop young talent throughout the decade.

Having a consistent voice in the locker room is vital in a player’s development, and with player movement on the rise, coaching consistency is more important than ever for young teams looking to grow.

End Of Rant

Firing Brian Keefe now would harm the Washington Wizards’ goals in the long term by stunting the development of the players on the roster. Winning five to ten more games next season is not worth sacrificing a potential championship core.

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