5 reasons Washington Wizards should hire Scott Brooks
By John Buhler
3. Will learn from Thunder mistakes
Perhaps the biggest criticism of the Brooks era in Oklahoma City was at starting shooting guard. Oklahoma City had absolutely no trouble at point guard and in all three front-court positions, but Brooks could never quite establish a solid three-and-d guy out there on the wing at the two to complement Durant.
Should he re-sign, Beal when healthy is the ideal two-guard that Brooks has never had the luxury of working with. The best shooting guard he probably had was Thabo Sefolosha, but when he was with the Thunder, he was strictly a defense-first player. He’s slightly better in a rotational role with the Atlanta Hawks, but not all that great of an offensive player even now.
If Brooks can figure out how to best use Beal, Porter, and Kelly Oubre out on the wing, he could have himself a terrific back court rotation with Wall and Ramon Sessions running the point. Most Brooks teams do have great offensive acumen and he could certainly build strong offensive continuity around this bunch.
Overall, Brooks will greatly benefit from his year off the hardwood before his next head coaching gig. He routinely won 50 games in the brutal Western Conference with similar roster construction as do the Wizards while with Oklahoma City. Yes, Durant and Westbrook are exponentially better than Wall and Beal, but Brooks will learn from his mistakes with the Thunder to make the starting back-court in Washington better than Wittman left it.
Next: 2. Keeps Washington in the playoff mix.