Washington Wizards Interim Head Coach Brian Keefe Lauded by Kevin Durant 'Taught Me Everything I Know'

Following the announcement that Brian Keefe would become the Interim Head Coach for the Washington Wizards an old video of Kevin Durant praising him resurfaced.
Washington Wizards Interim Head Coach Brian Keefe Lauded by Kevin Durant 'Taught Me Everything I Know'
Washington Wizards Interim Head Coach Brian Keefe Lauded by Kevin Durant 'Taught Me Everything I Know' /

The Washington Wizards had to make a move at the Head Coach position sooner rather than later.

There were little to no signs of improvement from the Wizards and development from younger players seemed to be at a standstill.

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Moving on from now former Washington Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr. was the correct move.

The Wizards front office wants to wait until the offseason where there will be more candidates and time to do a full fledge coaching search.

In the mean time Washington has tapped lead assistant Brian Keefe to move over a seat and become the Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the season.

Washington Wizards interim head coach Brian Keefe yells from the bench against the Utah Jazz in the first half at Capital One Arena.
Washington Wizards interim head coach Brian Keefe yells from the bench against the Utah Jazz in the first half at Capital One Arena / Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Keefe has 17 years of extensive coaching experience in the NBA dating back to being a video coordinator in 2005 with the San Antonio Spurs where he was apart of the 2007 NBA championship team.

He made stops as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers.

Most of his career he was with the Thunder where he spent seven years of his career and coached future Hall of Famers Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook.

In 2016 when Keefe first got to the Lakers they matched-up with the Durant led Golden State Warriors.

"Work ethic, being a professional, he wouldn't take any credit for it but he taught me everything I know," Durant said of Keefe before the 2016 match-up. "How I approach shoot-arounds, practices, games, workout sessions... just changed my mindset."

Even though it is old it is good to hear someone that is now leading this Wizards team receive such high praise from one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

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If Keefe helped develop Durant into the player he is today, he is definitely someone you want to keep around the franchise no matter what.

With Washington in the midst of a rebuild being able to develop young talent is a must and Keefe has a successful track record doing just that.


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Gage Sheets
GAGE SHEETS

Gage is entering his first season covering the Washington Wizards and brings a lifetime of passion for sports with him. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and a proud husband and father of two. You can follow or reach out to Gage on X @SheetsG23