When Scott Brooks was hired as the head coach of the Washington Wizards, it was expected that he'll bring a lot of experience and his no-nonsense attitude to the team. Having two of the league's best players under his tutelage before certainly adds to the reasons why he was selected to lead the re-tooled Wizards squad.
As early as the team's first film session following their loss at home to the Toronto Raptors on November 2nd, the 51-year-old bench tactician wasted no time in calling out the player who he thinks played the worst on the defensive end, and he didn't think twice in doing so even if it was the team's All-Star, John Wall.
Wall's willingness to stake his value upon his defense already has been tested. In the team's first film session after its home-opening loss to the Raptors, Brooks pointed out several times where Wall either didn't sprint back on defense or failed to sit down in a defensive stance. He underscored it all by calling Wall the worst defender on the team “by far.”
Wall's response?
“I'm like, ‘Damn, I do look like the worst defender. I can't say nothing back.' It's going to make me a better player and a better person.”
The Wizards did not start the season the way it was planned. The good news for them is they have won three of their last five games and their players have since responded positively after calling each other out.
With Brooks at the helm, who is not afraid to point fingers on who he thinks is not doing his job right, and Wall taking the criticism thrown against him constructively, the season is not yet completely lost for the Wizards. The key is acting on it immediately while the hole they have dug themselves in is not deep enough for them not to be able to climb out from it.
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