Brian Keefe doesn’t like to talk about himself. He’d rather talk about his players, say those who have worked with the 48-year-old basketball coach. But Keefe didn’t have much choice Tuesday when he was introduced as the man the Wizards are counting on to guide the team’s young roster into the future.
After removing last week the interim tag Keefe coached under this season, the team celebrated Keefe’s promotion Tuesday, marking the occasion with a swanky reception in the District featuring reporters, team executives, and several players.
Keefe served as the team’s interim coach for the final 39 games of the 2023-24 season.
“I’m truly grateful and humbled by this. This is a great responsibility … ” Keefe said. “It’s a huge honor.
He thanked general manager Will Dawkins and owner Ted Leonsis for the opportunity.
“He won’t talk about himself, but when we had that initial phone call, he was emotional,” Dawkins said. “We could tell how much it meant to him.”
After playing college basketball at UC Irvine and UNLV, Keefe joined the NBA as a video coordinator with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005. From there, he worked his way up. He spent 17 seasons as an assistant coach with the Thunder, Lakers, Nets and Knicks before getting his first shot at a top job.
His track record in the league, as someone who can tutor young players and tell stars like Kevin Durant to fix their body language, is part of the reason he landed the job.
“At his core, he’s someone who connects with people,” Dawkins said. “He’s someone who’s a teacher. He’s someone who’s a developer. He’s someone who is proven and motivated.”
Washington didn’t see an immediate improvement in the win column during Keefe’s interim tenure. The team was 7-36 when he took over and managed an 8-31 record with the Massachusetts native at the helm.
But the team’s play developed.
The defense stepped up. Under Keefe’s leadership, the Wizards held opponents to just 34.5% on three-point shooting, the second-best mark in the league.
The defensive and net ratings also improved.
Despite their losses, the Wizards kept things close. They led the NBA in “clutch” games — games where the score is within five points in the final five minutes — over the last half of the season.
“Brian has a unique ability to see people and things for what they can be, not where they are or who they are right now currently,” Dawkins said. “When you think of our team and the phase that we’re in, that’s really really important.”
The Wizards are not expected to compete for a championship anytime soon. But Keefe says he knows that — it’s part of the reason he wanted the job. The coach noted that collaborating with others in the organization “gets my juices flowing.”
“The opportunity to build something … laying a foundation for something, this is why this job, to me, is so exciting,” Keefe said. “Because it’s the chance to align and build it the right way. I couldn’t be more enthused by that.”
The Wizards landed the No. 2 pick in this month’s NBA draft after posting a 15-67 record last season. For the long-struggling franchise, adding the right draft picks will be a vital step in the long path back to contention.
“We’re building it step by step, brick by brick, and that’s a very rare opportunity to get to do that,” Keefe said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.