The Washington Wizards held an introductory press conference for new head coach Brian Keefe on Tuesday
WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards have named Brian Keefe the 26th head coach in franchise history, looking toward the longtime assistant to spearhead their rebuild. The organization formalized the move with an introductory press conference Tuesday featuring Head Coach Brian Keefe and General Manager Will Dawkins.
After former skipper Wes Unseld Jr. produced an underwhelming 7-36 record to kick off his third year in charge, Washington moved on, firing the man nicknamed ‘WUJ’ and ushering in lead assistant coach Brian Keefe to serve in an interim role.
Prior to his promotion, Keefe had served as an NBA assistant coach since 2007 for numerous franchises, including the Thunder, Knicks, Lakers and Nets. Keefe moved from Brooklyn to D.C. prior to the 2023-24 NBA season, serving as an assistant to Unseld Jr. befre his promotion.
Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins began the presser by introducing his new hire: Brian Keefe. Dawkins shared kind words about Keefe, describing him as a ‘players coach’ and raving about him, not just a basketball mind, but as a human being.
“When I think of Brian at his core, he’s someone who connects with people, he’s someone who’s a teacher … he’s proven in motivating people,” Dawkins said.
The current GM recalled a particular moment when he first met Keefe back in 2008, remembering how the new Wizards coach truly took the time to know him as a person.
“He’s genuine. He invests in people. He puts himself last, puts the players first and we’re really excited about that,” Dawkins said.
Washington went 8-31 with Keefe at the helm to finish off their worst season in franchise history, but, to Keefe’s credit, his squad saw improvements in team defense, offensive execution and overall effort level. Additionally, the insertion of Keefe led to individual breakthroughs for Deni Avdija, Jordan Poole and Corey Kispert.
The first-time head coach thanked Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, as well as President of Monumental Basketball Michael Winger and General Manager Will Dawkins for the opportunity, one he called “a great responsibility.”
“This is a very rare opportunity in sports when you get to work with people that are aligned — from ownership down to the front office to coaching — and we’re invested in finding the right way to do things,” Keefe said.
The first question came from Monumental’s Chris Miller, who asked Dawkins about the hiring process, a rather quiet one at that with no names other than Keefe being released as potential hires. Dawkins declined to name other candidates that received interviews but did mention that Washington went into the hiring process with an open mind, eventually landing on Keefe as their guy.
“Through those 19 years that [Brian] has been in the league, I’d put his hard work up there with anybody,” Dawkins said. “The diligence, the care, the sweat-equity that he’s put in with the players on the floor … you can see it and you can feel it.”
In perhaps the most telling quote of the day, Dawkins highlighted what makes Keefe special as both a coach and a person, and why that ability gels perfectly with the rebuilding Wizards.
“Brian has a unique ability to see people and things for what they can be, not for where they are or who they are right now. And when you think of the phase our team is in right now, that’s vital.”
Dawkins is right. For a rebuilding Wizards team oozing with untapped potential, Keefe’s ability to locate what makes these players special is a huge asset. Developing these young players in the gym while establishing real, meaningful relationships could prove vital in turning the Wizards ship around from a mediocrity-destined franchise to a perennial winner.
While Keefe might be seen by fair-weather fans as the ‘safe hire’ or the ‘typical Wizards hire,’ real fans — ones that endured a grueling first year of this rebuild by watching loss after loss after loss, especially those with Keefe in charge — understand what this first-time head coach brings to the table. Washington took noticeable strides under Keefe, both as a team and as individuals, with the squads’ defense improving and players such as Deni Avdija and Jordan Poole raising their level of play.
Doing the slightest comparison between the ‘Wes Unseld Jr Wizards’ and the ‘Brian Keefe Wizards,’ it’s easy to notice the improvements. It appears Keefe has buy-in from his players — as seen on social media with Poole, Kuzma, Avdija, Coulibaly, Jones and more taking to Instagram to share their congratulations and support for Keefe — something Unseld Jr seemed to lose toward his final days as the lead man in D.C.
While wins may be hard to come by and losses prevalent for these next few years, they won’t tell the entire story. Brian Keefe’s evaluation as head coach, at least for the time being, will be determined by the development of Washington’s young players, how they compete on a nightly basis and whether his group shows steady signs of imoorvement as the year goes on.