National Basketball Association

Washington Wizards' Scott Brooks Recognizes Problem With Second Unit

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks has recognized a way to potentially fix the team’s bench, which has been underwhelming.

If you asked Captain Obvious why bench players weren’t starters, he would tell you that they simply weren’t good enough to earn that role. That, at least in most cases, is 100 percent true…and obvious.

Most teams don’t have players on their second unit that can start games and that’s the case with the Washington Wizards, too.

The likes of Andrew Nicholson and Trey Burke, for instance, are talented enough to contribute, but will never take the starting gigs away from John Wall and Markieff Morris.

Coaches typically refrain from playing five bench players at once because, well, they’re not good enough to play together, at least productively.

With that said, coaches tend to stunt the starters’ minutes, opting to play one or two starting players with the second unit in spurts.

By yanking three of the starters out early and replacing them with bench players, it allows a team to not overplay the entire first unit and keep the team competitive against the opposition.

Lately, Scott Brooks had abandoned that unwritten rule by deciding to play five bench players at the same time. The Washington Wizards are 0-2 and their second unit has been relatively underwhelming.

Some, including myself, have suggested that Brooks should play Bradley Beal more with the second unit, as he’ll provide the scoring and shot creation that’s desperately needed. Plus, he’ll have an opportunity to carry the offense without completely depending on the ball-dominant John Wall for touches.

After the team’s overtime loss in Memphis, Brooks spoke about needing to mix it up a bit.

After practice today, #Wizards coach Scott Brooks said team might have to experiment with "mixing and matching" starters to play w/ 2nd unit

— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) November 1, 2016

Brooks, who unlike the Washington Wizards’ previous coach, Randy Wittman, seems to be more open to change and looks at analytics before making conclusions.

The team, to put it bluntly, has been awful when the starters have taken breathers.

The Wizards have been outscored by 31.3 points per 100 possessions when John Wall has been on the bench. Beal has played 12 of those 34 mins https://t.co/q78wUdd9Lx

— Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) November 1, 2016

It’s not the bench’s fault that they’re not producing. It’s completely on the coach to find an acceptable lineup. For now, Brooks hasn’t been able to do that, but at least he’s figured out that playing five bench players at the same time isn’t conducive to winning games.

Going forward, it would be surprising if Brooks didn’t start pulling some of the starters – mainly Beal and Morris – out early. Marcus Thornton, who’s been the backup shooting guard, and Nicholson would likely get to play with the starters more than they have in the first two games of the season.

The first step to fixing a problem is to recognize that one exists. Brooks has done that. Now it’s time to implement a plan to correct the way the bench has played, including stunting the starters’ minutes responsibly.