Brian Keefe's coaching future will be Wizards' first decision this offseason

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksTracking Awards EligibilityPlayoff Matchups As Of TodayLatest Power RankingsInside NBA Sneaker CultureNBA Season Brian Keefe has done everything the Wizards' front office has asked of him, and it has resulted in a 43-158 cumulative record as the team's coach. Geoff Burke / Imagn Images Share full article{"endpoint":"https://api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com/graphql","summariesData":[{"title":"A decision looms","description":"Brian Keefe has an NBA head-coaching record of 43-158, and the Wizards' front office has a decision to make. Will it retain him as coach? Wizards leadership isn't talking publicly. GM Will Dawkins is expected to address local reporters and broadcasters Monday, during his customary end-of-season Q&A session. For the past two years, Keefe has guided Washington through the ugliest stages of its rebuild. He has cooperated with the front office, dealing with player absences and limited rotations without expressing any public frustration. He has been the quintessential good soldier. Keefe's mandate from above hasn't been to win games; it has been to develop players' individual games. He has shown he can do that. Does he deserve a chance to prove he can teach those same players how to win? WASHINGTON — Brian Keefe understood the assignment. He has followed the directions precisely. For the last two years, he guided the Washington Wizards through the ugliest stages of their teardown rebuild and relentless pursuit of optimal lottery odds. His resume suffered. After the Wizards’ 119-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, his record as an NBA head coach stands at 43-158. The Wizards’ front office has a decision to make. With the franchise’s goals set for a 180-degree turn, from tanking the last two seasons to attempting to win next season, will team officials retain Keefe as their coach? For now, Wizards leadership isn’t talking publicly. Through a team spokesperson, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said no to an interview request from The Athletic about Keefe’s future. Dawkins is expected to address local reporters and broadcasters Monday during his customary end-of-season question-and-answer session. In mid-January, however, The Athletic asked Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger to assess Keefe’s job performance. “I think Brian has done a remarkable job,” Winger said then. “I think Brian has done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s developed young athletes. He’s built a culture of competitiveness, accountability, togetherness and joy. He marches out there every day, coaches these guys on both ends of the floor. He’s built an amazing coaching staff. I’m very, very pleased with the job that Brian has done.” With a few other franchises, however, coaching changes sparked drastic changes in the way those teams played, moving them from rebuilds to contention. After the Detroit Pistons won 17 games during the 2022-23 season with Dwane Casey as their coach and 14 games during the 2023-24 season with Monty Williams as coach, J.B. Bickerstaff’s new voice — and his insistence on a tough, physical style — played a central role in the their rebirth (as did the health and development of 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham). Under Bickerstaff, Detroit went 44-38 last season and will finish this season with the Eastern Conference’s best record. The Houston Rockets spent three years in the rebuilding wilderness with Stephen Silas as their coach, but a coaching change to Ime Udoka and the arrivals of several key veteran players produced a dramatic turnaround. Last season and this season, the Rockets have grown into one of the most competitive teams in the Western Conference. The Wizards expect to have at least two high-impact veteran players in their rotation next season. In January, they traded for four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young. In February, Washington acquired 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis. Team officials expect Young and Davis to lead a young nucleus that includes Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Will Riley and will feature a 2026 lottery pick. Davis did, however, express his reservations about the Wizards’ commitment to win big in 2026-27 during a February interview with The Athletic. He doubled down on those concerns during a recent appearance on “The Draymond Green Show.” Davis told Green he has been impressed by the Wizards’ young players and the team’s facilities. That’s the good news. But Davis also indicated he continues to wonder whether his goals align with the Wizards’ goals. “I’m at a young 33, and every year that I play from here on out, I want to be able to compete for a championship,” Davis said. “Like, that’s what I want to do. … I just know, and you know, it’s tough to be one of the worst teams in the league, and then next year, you’re a championship contender.” “Obviously, this team is not there yet,” Davis added. “So, I’m going into the summer having conversations with them, like, ‘What’s realistic? What are you all thinking? If we are trying to win, what other players are we getting? Are we getting other players? What can we do? What’s the flexibility? What flexibility do we have?’ And then kind of go from there.” If Keefe remains as coach, he would be the central voice in trying to turn around a team that, with two games remaining, ranks 29th in defense, allowing 121.2 points per 100 possessions this season. At the same time, though, it’s unfair to judge Keefe’s job performance by customary measures such as defensive efficiency and wins and losses. Keefe has coached a team that has endured massive amounts of roster turnover since he replaced Wes Unseld Jr. as interim coach midway through the 2023-24 season and since team officials removed Keefe’s interim tag in May 2024. The Wizards have been one of the league’s youngest teams over the last two years, and one of the truisms in the NBA is that, overwhelmingly, young teams don’t play solid defense. To be sure, the Wizards defense hasn’t shown much improvement by the numbers over the last 24 months. But Keefe’s mandate from the front office hasn’t been to win games. It’s been to develop players’ individual games while the team loses. Thursday, for instance, Keefe had eight players available: a starting lineup of Bub Carrington, Riley, Leaky Black, Anthony Gill and Juju Reese, and a bench of Justin Champagnie, Jamir Watkins and Sharife Cooper. Almost all of the key youngsters over the past two seasons have improved their individual skills, a list led by Sarr and George. This season’s rookies — Johnson, Riley and Watkins — have made strides in recent weeks, too. Keefe has cooperated with the front office throughout his tenure, dealing with player absences and limited rotations without expressing any public frustration. He has been the quintessential good soldier. Front-office officials have signaled that, despite the presence of Young and Davis, and despite the goal of being more competitive next season, the Wizards will remain focused on player development. Though Young and Davis are expected to lead the way in 2026-27, the team’s long-term future will revolve more around the young players already on hand and on June’s first-round NBA Draft pick. Keefe and his assistant coaches have shown they can improve players’ individual skills. There’s a feeling within the front office that Keefe deserves a legitimate chance to show whether he can teach those same players how to win — once winning becomes a goal after this season. Whether that feeling will carry the day in the weeks ahead remains to be seen. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Josh Robbins is a senior writer for The Athletic. He began covering the Washington Wizards in 2021 after spending more than a decade on the Orlando Magic beat for The Athletic and the Orlando Sentinel, where he worked for 18 years. His work has been honored by the Football Writers Association of America, the Green Eyeshade Awards and the Florida Society of News Editors. He served as president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association from 2014 to 2023. Josh is a native of the greater Washington, D.C., area. Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshuaBRobbins