The Washington Wizards basketball team has announced that it will be parting ways with head coach Wes Unseld Jr. after a tenure of almost three years. Per the team’s statement, Unseld Jr. will transition into a front-office advisory role as the team begins its search for a new coach. The Wizards are expected to name an interim coach soon, and will undertake a comprehensive search for a permanent candidate in the offseason.
Unseld Jr. took over as coach of the Wizards on July 17, 2019, and in his 2 1/2 seasons with the team, amassed a record of 77-130. The team’s last game under his leadership was a 118-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, marking the team’s fifth straight loss and 10th loss in 11 games.
This season, the Wizards have struggled with a record of 7-36, which is currently the second-worst in the Eastern Conference. The team is currently in a rebuilding phase, centered around a young core of players including Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole, Marvin Bagley III, Deni Avdija, Daniel Gafford and others.
Looking ahead, the Wizards will be focused on developing their young players and assessing the roster for the future, as they are essentially out of playoff and Play-In Tournament contention this season. Washington began its rebuild last summer with the trade of All-Star guard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns.
Over the past decade, the Wizards have been relatively stable in terms of coaching, with only three individuals (Randy Wittman, Scott Brooks, and Unseld Jr.) holding the position during that time. The team has qualified for the playoffs three times in the past 10 seasons, but hasn’t advanced past the first round since the 2016-17 season. Their last above .500 season was in 2017-18.
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.