Randy Wittman Reportedly Played Favorites in Wizards Locker Room

After two consecutive seasons in which they made the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Washington Wizards went 41-41 in 2015-16 and missed the playoffs.  

A .500 record might have been too kind of a representation for a team that had plenty of problems in the locker room, which led to the firing of head coach Randy Wittman on April 14.

Point guard John Wall, the team's biggest name, started revealing the mindset around the organization, which included Wittman playing favorites in the locker room, per J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic:

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I did a great job leading as much as I could. A lot of guys that's on a one-year deal, you put your foot down, you say what you need to say as a leader, but at the end of the day if everybody is not held accountable from the starting position down -- from me to the last person on the bench -- if we're not held accountable if one person wants to do something more no matter what I say as a leader if he's not backing me up it's not going to work. I think it was tough because with nine guys coming in on one-year deals everybody wanted the last word. Everybody wanted the last say so. This is probably the most flare ups or whatever throughout games.

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When asked to elaborate, Wall told Michael, "If I'm the best player on the team and I can take the criticism, then everybody else can."

Multiple sources also told Michael that Wittman refused to call out veteran center Nene and backup guard Ramon Sessions, which is a big reason why Wall made those comments and why Wittman lost credibility in the locker room. 

During film sessions, Wittman would continuously call out players like Wall and Bradley Beal, while Nene received no criticism despite putting up one of the worst seasons of his career, according to Michael. Nene is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

New head coach Scott Brooks, who was hired on April 26, should be taking notes as he attempts to turn things around in Washington. 

He dealt with big personalities in Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook with some success, as he took the team to the NBA Finals in 2012. However, he'll be entering a tense locker room in Washington.

Before a single ball is bounced on the court or a play is run this offseason, it's imperative for things to straighten out in the Wizards locker room. That means that every player is responsible for the team's performance and imperative for its success. Once that's set, then Washington can focus all of its energy on creating a winning product in the Eastern Conference.