Can Brian Keefe Get Wizards Back on Track?

The Washington Wizards have lost nine straight games, and Brian Keefe isn't happy.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 20, 2024

Nov 13, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe yells out to players during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are losers of nine straight games, all of which have come by at least nine points.

The losing streak has plumetted the Wizards to the bottom of the barrel in the NBA with a 2-11 mark that is only shared by the oft-injured Philadelphia 76ers.

After the team's latest loss against the New York Knicks, Wizards coach Brian Keefe appeared visibly disappointed about Washington's recent play.

"I'm the leader of this team. I'm the head coach of this team." Keefe said. "So I'll take the responsibility for the last two nights, not playing up to the competitive disposition that we should be playing with, especially defensively. That will be addressed as a group and we will get better. But that wasn't what we need to be, what our standards were. And we have to own that. And we have to look at ourselves and we have to get better."

The Wizards will have a handful of days to get reset before heading back to the floor, but it isn't wins that the team necessarily needs. Instead, the Wizards need to show some competitive edge. It would be one thing if the Wizards were playing these games close and losing by a few points, but they have been blown out in nearly every game on the losing streak.

Keefe was tasked with leading this team through the rebuild, but if he is unable to extract a competitive edge from these players, the Wizards may look to go in a different direction.

The Wizards liked what they saw from Keefe in an interim role last season, which is why he was promoted to begin the year. However, if the Wizards continue to lose like this, Keefe's seat may get a little bit of heat.

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Published Nov 20, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.