Sheppard says ‘It was a decision I made’ on Brooks’ departure

Wizards

Sheppard says ‘It was a decision I made’ on Brooks’ departure

General manager Tommy Sheppard answered one of the biggest offseason questions for the Wizards on Wednesday when he announced that coach Scott Brooks would not be extended for the 2021-22 season. 

Sheppard told the media the decision to not extend Brooks was made by himself, and only himself.

“The decision was mine to move forward that we were not gonna renew contracts,” Sheppard said. “Moving forward, I really want to focus forward. I don’t like sharing private conversations, certainly between two very good friends. In terms of where we are and where we need to be, it was a decision I made.”

Brooks’ contract expired after the team’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Over five seasons, he compiled a record of 183-207 (.469) and led the Wizards to the playoffs three times. In 2017, they made the Eastern Conference semifinals and lost in Game 7 to the Boston Celtics on the road after a 49-win campaign. 

Unfortunately for the Wizards and for Brooks, that season was the high-water mark over five years. 

“When you’re evaluating things, it’s always about the future,” Sheppard said. “We’ve had five years together, I’ve been the GM for two years, and certainly we’ve had some incredible highs and some very difficult lows throughout Coach Brooks’ tenure here. I look back at the first year, we won 49 games and get to the second round and get to Game 7 with Boston, certainly that was boding well for the future.”

Then, injuries struck the Wizards and they made the playoffs just once over the next two seasons.

“Life happens, you have injuries, you have a lot of different things happen,” Sheppard said. “This wasn’t the team Scotty signed up for five years ago. It was a totally different look, a totally different team with totally different goals at that time.”

Sheppard said that team owner Ted Leonsis made it clear to him that as he worked through the process, he had whatever support he needed. 

That support was helpful, especially as Sheppard took time away to take as much time as he needed to make the decision on whether or not to extend Brooks. And, despite the Wizards’ strong finish in the latter half of 2021, the totality of the last five years led into Wednesday’s decision.

“It’s about the future and where we can go and looking at the areas we struggled in the past with and what we’re prepared to do to get better in those areas,” Sheppard said. “A lot of those conversations that happen throughout the year and the evaluations you do after a season, they kind of all feed together into one report.”

Now for the first time in Sheppard’s career as the Wizards’ general manager, he’ll be tasked with hiring the team’s next head coach by himself, too.