Report: Scott Brooks 'Firmly on the Hot Seat' as HC Amid Wizards' 2-8 Start

Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks is "sitting firmly on the hot seat" after the team's 2-8 start to the season, according to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor. 

Additionally, given that slow start, "teams thirsting for a blockbuster trade are increasingly shifting their gaze toward [Bradley] Beal" as a potential trade target.

Brooks, 55, is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Wizards. The team has gone 151-177 in his tenure and has made two playoff appearances, though none since the 2016-17 season during the height of the Beal and John Wall partnership. 

He previously spent six seasons as an assistant coach for various teams and seven seasons as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-15). 

The Wizards came into the 2020-21 season with high hopes, led by Beal and the acquisition of Russell Westbrook. Add in retaining Davis Bertans, the growth of players like Thomas Bryant and Rui Hachimura and the drafting of Deni Avdija, and Washington looked like a team capable of pushing for a playoff spot this season. 

Thus far, things have not gone to plan. Bryant is done for the year with a torn ACL, and the team's dreadful defense (122.7 points allowed per game, worst in the NBA) has put them in a major hole. There's little doubt the Wizards can score (119.7 points per game, second in the league), but their inability to get a stop has rendered their offense inconsequential. 

Anything less than a playoff appearance will be deemed a disappointment in Washington, and that could be the final straw for a player like Beal, who would have countless suitors if he ever expressed a desire to be traded. A poor season could also be the end for Brooks, who will find it tough to justify a fourth straight season without a postseason berth.