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Wes Unseld, Jr. to return as Wizards head coach in 2023-24

He is entering the third year of his contract.

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Washington Wizards v Dallas Mavericks Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

Washington Wizards head coach Wes Unseld has led the team to two consecutive lottery bound seasons. While that may grounds for his termination with some teams, the Wizards are bringing him back next season according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

The news isn’t particularly surprising, because Unseld has long-standing ties with the franchise, and the team hasn’t played at full strength for most of his first two seasons in Washington. Also, Robbins noted that the Wizards have been patient with head coach and front office hires. The only head coach to last less than four seasons since 2003 was the late Flip Saunders.

While the Wizards are patient with Unseld’s development, it is important to give him a team with a clear direction. I’ve said it before earlier this season and will say it again: the Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis trio isn’t working well enough. Even if they have a winning record together, it’s lip service when they are injured most of the time.

And it’s not like Unseld has made the most out of his opportunities to win games either. The Wizards lost two straight games after leading by 20 points. And Unseld, a defensive-minded assistant coach, hasn’t seen Washington turn into at least an average defensive team yet.

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