It’s becoming a continuing theme around Washington Wizards land. Lose a game in an embarrassing fashion, and listen to head coach Scott Brooks attempt to explain away the struggles by calling out his best players.
Following a 130-119 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, that’s exactly what it seems like Brooks did.
In talking about Bradley Beal’s struggles (3-of-11 shooting, nine points), Brooks made sure to include All-Star John Wall in his criticism.
"That's a little bit on him, a little bit on me, a little bit on John [Wall]. We need him. We're going to have trouble beating this team if he's not going to play better. And he will" — Scott Brooks on Bradley Beal pic.twitter.com/pWWqZEqI7K
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 18, 2018
Given that Brooks is also calling himself out a tad here, it doesn’t seem to be noteworthy. But this comes mere weeks after the head coach himself took to the media as a way to shade Wall in a big way. It’s also apparent that Brooks decided to call out Wall without anyone asking about the point guard’s role in Beal’s struggles.
For his part, Wall put up 29 points and nine assists on 9-of-17 shooting Tuesday night. It’s the Wizards’ defense that let this team down big time. Just ask those who tuned into the first quarter of the game.
Either way, Brooks has to know he’s not long for the Wizards’ job should they fall in the first round against Toronto. He’s now seemingly willing to take both Wall and Beal out for a ride before the head coach’s imminent departure from the nation’s capital.
It’s not a great look.