Is Washington Wizards Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr On The Hot Seat?

The Washington Wizards Find Themselves Between A Rock And A Hard Place. Could Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr Be On The Hot Seat?

In any business, people tend to lose their jobs if they aren’t successful at what they do. Sometimes you see people get put on something often referred to as a PIP. PIP stands for Performance Improvement Plan. This happens when the company actually sees value in you. It also happens when they actually care about you and wants to see you succeed. In the case of the NBA, the PIP is often the G League for the players.

Wizards Rookie G Johnny Davis hoping to secure more playing time in the NBA - USA Today

After the PIP is in motion and the employee is still struggling, that is often the time when an employee is fired. In the case of an athlete, that means they are either cut or traded. 

In sports, when a team is struggling, the players are generally the last resort to improving the team. If a team is struggling, the Head Coach is normally the first one to lose their job. In the case for the Washington Wizards, this is something to keep an eye on.

The Wizards are in a bad place currently. They find themselves on an eight game losing streak and heads are beginning to get scratched as they are desperately trying to stop the bleeding. At some point, Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard has to make a move rather it’s a trade to improve the team or having a conversation with Coach Unseld Jr.

Former Wizards Point Guard Ish Smith crashed the team’s practice the other day. Could that possibly be the move? Kyle Kuzma has been playing at a high level and is expected to explore the market to secure the bag. Would the Wizards be willing to make that move to expect a high return to fill out the bench?

Injuries have indeed played a big factor in the Wizard’s recent struggles. However, the ultimate question many are wondering: Is Coach Unseld Jr. on thin ice with leading this team? 

Good to see ya @IshSmith ❤️

🎥 • via @WashWizards pic.twitter.com/69UkkuweEq

— 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙆𝙪𝙯 (@KuzMvp) December 15, 2022

There’s no secret the team is struggling. In fact, they have buried themselves in the standings quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. Maybe the Wizards already have a PIP in motion for HC Wes Unseld Jr. But the fact of the matter is this - If things don’t turn around and improve for this team, we can expect changes to be made. The first thing that usually happens is the firing of the Head Coach. This is something to keep an eye on in the next few weeks.