Scott Brooks’ fresh approach has benefited the Wizards

The Washington Wizards find themselves one win away from the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals berth since the late ‘70s. Guided by standout guards John Wall and Bradley Beal and head coach Scott Brooks, who was brought on board last April with a five-year, $35 million contract to replace the beleaguered Randy Wittman, the team totaled 49 wins, its highest count in nearly 40 years. Informed by close relationships with his players, Brooks’ fresh approach deserves ample credit, even if Washington doesn’t get past Boston in Game 7.

Under Brooks, when it comes to efficiency, the Wizards have transformed from a consistently below-average offense into a top-10 unit. Boosting Wall and Beal, two former lottery picks with incredible skills, certainly helps Brooks’ case. In the 2016-17 campaign, each turned in a career year.

Wall not only posted his third consecutive 10-plus assist-per-game season, but he also increased his scoring average from 19.9 to 23.1 Most simply, Wall was able to do this by virtue of increasing his efficiency. Specifically, his free-throw rate (it jumped from 4.4 free-throw attempts per 36 minutes in 2015-16 all the way up to 6.7 this season, the second-best rate of his career) and field-goal percentage drastically improved, while his average shot distance non-coincidentally plummeted.

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Over the previous three seasons, Wall attempted field goals from an average of 13.9 feet away from the basket. This season? He averaged 11.7 feet. Surely as a result of increased aggressiveness and a smarter approach, Wall attempted nearly 38 percent of his field goals from within 3 feet, up from 28 percent, his average over the previous three years.

For his part, sweet-shooting Bradley Beal, still just 23, is fresh off recording the most prolific scoring season of his career. Although Beal putting up another season of 40+ percent from 3-point range is far from novel, his 7.2 3-point attempts per game easily represent a career-high. He also got to the line at the highest rate of his career.

These uber-talented guards in the prime of their careers are taking the next step. So what? Where does Brooks come in? Well, the 51-year-old coach has expertly harnessed their rare gifts by making a few critical changes. Importantly, he has reduced his starting backcourt’s non-game workload by strategically limiting practice time.

In late January, after a lighter-than-usual practice, Brooks told reporters, “I have to be smart enough to realize on days like today, 35 to 40 minutes of good work is enough to get better.” He appears to possess an acute sense of what his team and players need. John Wall concurred that day, saying, “He understands situations for us, if we need rest, if he needs to step on the gas for us.” While the contribution of luck can never be discounted, Brooks’ adjustments in this area have limited the wear and tear on Wall’s and Beal’s lower limbs and, consequently, their likelihood of injury.

A couple weeks after Brooks was hired to lead the Wizards, his star, Wall, underwent surgery on both knees. Although he missed a mere eight games over the last three seasons, Wall’s knee pain had been lingering for some time. Early in his career, Beal suffered through a number of injuries, most recently missing 27 games last season. In 2016-17, Beal missed five games, the fewest of his career, avoiding further setbacks to his development into one of the league’s premier two-guards.

In addition, Brooks made the unconventional decision to take speedy John Wall, one of the best passers in the league, off the ball on occasion, giving more of those opportunities to Bradley Beal. Of course, Wall still handles the ball the vast majority of the time, but presenting opposing defenses with these different looks resulted in stellar individual seasons for both players and the team’s aforementioned top-10 offense.

For all their successes this season, the Wizards have their fair share of problems. Most notably, Washington’s defense has been poor (or inconsistent, if we’re being charitable). Following the All-Star break, the Wizards ranked 27th in defensive efficiency, allowing 110.7 points per 100 possessions. Their strong offense enabled them to stay above water. However, for the Wizards to take the next step (thinking beyond this season, here), they will need to employ a balanced approach that involves providing some semblance of defensive resistance.

Washington’s two other biggest weaknesses have similarly been on display this postseason, particularly in its series with Boston. Namely, the team performs much worse on the road, where it finished under .500 during the regular season and has dropped five of six games these playoffs. The Wizards also field one of the league’s weaker benches (Marcin Gortat said as much earlier this season and had a good point).

The bench’s failings, as with the defensive woes, will have to be remedied for the Wizards to ever emerge from the East. With that said, those difficulties illustrate how strong of a job Brooks has done with this unit.

Because of injury, defensive-minded big man Ian Mahinmi played just one game until early February. Fellow big man free-agent addition Andrew Nicholson disappointed in his short tenure as a Wizard. Guard Trey Burke’s play hasn’t warranted much playing time, and Marcus Thornton didn’t do much either before he was dealt away. Acquired from the Knicks midway through the season, Brandon Jennings has proven he can rack up the assists, but his 27 percent shooting with Washington was historically bad. Although Bojan Bogdanovic can provide perimeter shooting and instant offense off the bench, he struggles defensively, can be a streaky shooter and required Washington to surrender a first-round pick to Brooklyn.

Despite all those significant issues, Brooks and company stand one road upset away from advancing to the Conference Finals. Brooks’ rocky 6-12 start with the franchise was reminiscent of his early struggles with the youthful Thunder. As with Oklahoma City, he quickly learned what makes his players tick and how to best accentuate their abilities. This time around, his squad bounced back from its weak start to go 28-9 from early December up until the All-Star break. Granted, teams are not ultimately judged by regular-season play, let alone half a season’s worth, but Washington’s dominance over that stretch suggests the heights it can reach under Scott Brooks.

Next: Did John Wall make the leap? And what is the leap anyway?

During that 37-game period, only the Warriors, Spurs and Rockets boasted a better net rating, as Washington placed fifth and sixth in offensive and defensive efficiency, respectively. If Brooks and team management can iron out some of their lingering issues and Wall and Beal can stay relatively injury-free, you’re looking at one of the league’s up-and-coming contenders.