Outside of David Vanterpool, Alexis Ajinca is the only returning member from last season.
The Washington Wizards have announced several additions to their coaching staff for the 2024-2025 season. Everyone except Brian Keefe and David Vanterpool were previously let go so we should see mostly new faces on the bench this season.
However, former NBA player Alexis Ajinca spent last with the Capital City Go-Go and this year he will join the Wizards staff. He will be joined by Adam Caporn, J.J. Outlaw, Brian Randle, and T.J. Sorrentine. Many of these guys have high-level Division I playing experience in addition to strong coaching resumes.
Jahadi White and I will be breaking down each of the additions on today’s Bleav in Wizards podcast at 3:30 p.m. EST.
Adam Caporn, an Australian, spent two seasons playing a Saint Mary’s (CA.) before playing professionally in Australia. He is currently a member of the Australian National Team’s coaching staff and will be with them during the Olympics.
He spent the last few years on staff with the Brooklyn Nets and several seasons with Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence, a development program in Australia. Caporn also has head coaching experience there and with the Long Island Nets G League team.
Brian Randle comes over after spending last season with the Detroit Pistons, which seems reasonable to speculate if Troy Weaver put in a good word for him. Prior to that, he worked for the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Randle was a productive three-year starter at Illinois before spending a decade playing overseas. I remember Randle as a defensive-minded forward who wasn’t afraid to do the dirty work. His presence reinforces the defense-focused culture Will Dawkins has talked about establishing.
T.J. Sorrentine has been the associate head coach at Brown University for the last 13 years, serving as an assistant for three seasons prior to that. College basketball fans may remember Sorrentine from the 2005 NCAA Tournament where he and teammate Taylor Coppenrath led Vermont to a major upset of Syracuse in the first round. He also spent several seasons playing abroad and in the NBA Development League (the precursor to the G League).
As mentioned above, Ajinca comes up after spending last year with the Go-Go. He has the least coaching experience of the group but the highest-level professional playing experience. Ajinca spent nine season in the NBA, most notably with the New Orleans Pelicans. For his career, the 7’2 French center average about 5 points and 4 rebounds. Given his experience and background, he will likely be tasked with mentoring recent #2 draft pick Alex Sarr.
J.J. Outlaw joins the Wizards after spending the last several seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Additionally, he spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers, contributing in scouting, player development, and coaching. He is the only new addition without high-level playing experience but he was an all-conference football player for Villanova before having a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Overall, I like the diversity of the hires here. The fact that many of them have international playing experience on their resume may also help them incorporate new ideas and understand the development paths of the Wizards young international players.