The Washington Wizards officially announced the hiring of Wes Unseld Jr. as their head coach on Saturday. Unseld Jr. signed a four-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Wizards certainly made a legacy hire. Unseld Jr. is the son of Washington Bullets legend, the late Wes Unseld. The elder Unseld played from 1968-1981 for the Bullets and is viewed as the franchise’s greatest player. He brought Washington its lone NBA championship in 1978 while being named MVP of the Finals.
Father Unseld stayed with the organization as an assistant coach, head coach and was the general manager when the team changed its name to the Washington Wizards in 1997.
However, Unseld Jr. has built an impeccable resume of his own. He served as an advanced scout of the Wizards starting in 1997 until he was promoted to an assistant coach in 2005. There he stayed on the Wizards bench until 2011. He then made stops in Golden State, Orlando and most recently Denver.
“I want to thank Tommy and Mr. Leonsis for the opportunity to lead this talented team both on and off the court and to continue moving the franchise in a positive direction,” said Unseld Jr. “Becoming a head coach in the NBA is a goal that I have pursued my entire adult life and to have that dream realized by coming full circle back to Washington is truly special. I look forward to representing the DMV, connecting with our fans and establishing a new standard for Wizards basketball.”
With the Nuggets he served six seasons under head coach Mike Malone. Unseld Jr. led the Nuggets defensive turnaround after the team finished 29th in defensive efficiency and 27th in points allowed per game in 2017. Denver has finished each of the last three seasons in the top-11 of points allowed and top half of defensive efficiency.
The Wizards will need that expertise. This season, Washington allowed a league-worst 118.5 points per game. And finished as bad as 28th in two of the last three seasons in defensive efficiency under former head coach Scott Brooks.
