In the past month, we have been focusing quite heavily on what Winger will do with the Mystics. But let’s take a step back and grade him with the team he has directly influenced in the meantime.
Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger is in the middle of his most important task since taking the job: find a new General Manager and Head Coach (in two different bodies) for the Washington Mystics. The previous General Manager (and one-time Head Coach) Mike Thibault led the Mystics to their most successful runs in franchise history, which included winning the 2019 WNBA Finals. It will be hard for him to match what Thibault has, especially with the WNBA about to experience their biggest growth era since the league opened shop in 1997,
While he was laissez-faire with the Mystics until recently, Winger has had a more direct hand in setting the vision for the Washington Wizards. The team is starting to rebuild, moving on from past coaches and practices to those of his liking. Sure, the wins aren’t there, and they won’t be there for quite some time. (That is what I expect him to do with the Mystics as well, unless Paige Bueckers’ camp says she wants to be in D.C., though I digress.)
I do see some promise in the young prospects on the Wizards’ roster. Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr could be contributors of a future contending Wizards team. And they have brought in some valuable players, like Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas this season. Jordan Poole has improved from last season and Kyle Kuzma remains Washington’s primary option from the post. I don’t expect most of the veterans to be here for the entire 2024-25 season, but they could yield more assets to help Washington rebuild if and when they are traded.
So in the end, I have a poll question: How would you grade Michael Winger’s job setting the strategy for the Wizards only? Let us know by voting below!