Tag: Wes Unseld Jr.

Wizards’ Wes Unseld Jr. praises Sixers’ stars for their success

Washington Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. gave his praise to the stars of the Philadelphia 76ers for their offensive success.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the more talented players in the league, Joel Embiid. The big fella is leading the league in scoring (33.4 ppg) and he dominates on the defensive end.

Then, there’s James Harden who’s leading the league in assists (10.8 apg) to go along with his 21.8 points per game, and Tyrese Maxey who is averaging 19.8 points per game. Embiid, Harden and Maxey are a handful for opposing teams and they know it.

Embiid and Harden, specifically, continue to be impressive out on the floor. Embiid had 34 points while Harden had 18 points and 14 assists in Sunday’s win over the Washington Wizards.

“Harden and Embiid are the catalysts with this group,” said Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. “Embiid is gonna require a lot of attention so in doing that, those guys have opportunities. We wanna minimize Embiid first, but you look at what he’s done. Not only is he the league’s leading scorer, but over the past five games averaging 37 a night, I think he’s uplifting everybody.”

Due to the attention Embiid, Harden and Maxey attract on the floor, life is easier for Georges Niang, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, PJ Tucker and others.

“We’ve seen Niang,” Unseld Jr. continued. “I’ve seen him for years over his time spent in Utah that he can come in and impact the game right away. His ability to stretch the floor, kinda moves without the ball. Very similar to Corey (Kispert) and just kinda creates action, spaces correctly, causes a little coverage confusion with his movement, when he shoots it, every time he shoots it, you feel like it’s going in so minimizing the impact of those guys, it’s difficult.”

Either way, it’s becoming obvious Embiid, Harden and Maxey continue to make strides forward as a group and it’s helping the supporting cast succeed.

“Harden’s 25 a night, Maxey’s 24 a night, so those three combined, a shade under 90 points,” Unseld Jr. finished. “That’s a lot to account for.”

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Bradley Beal, Wizards left feeling impressed with Sixers star Tyrese Maxey

Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards are left feeling impressed with rising Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey.

PHILADELPHIA–The Washington Wizards may have come away with a 121-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night on the road, but they were left feeling impressed with third-year guard Tyrese Maxey following the home-and-home series.

Maxey had 32 points on 11-for-20 shooting and he drilled five triples on Wednesday night and this comes after he scored 28 points in Philadelphia’s Halloween win on Monday night on the road. The young star is catching a ton of attention around the league and he earned the respect of Wizards star Bradley Beal and his teammates after these two games.

Wes Unseld Jr. explains how Wizards contained Sixers star Joel Embiid

Wes Unseld Jr. explains how the Washington Wizards contained Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to finish off their 5-game homestand on Wednesday with another win, but the Washington Wizards had other plans.

Despite missing two starters in Bradley Beal and Thomas Bryant, the Wizards came away with a 106-103 win over the Sixers. Kyle Kuzma had 24 points to lead the Wizards, but the focus was their containment of Sixers star Joel Embiid.

Embiid had 27 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, but he shot just 11-for-27 from the floor as it was not the usual dominant game from Embiid that we have grown accustomed to seeing. He also shot 5-for-8 from the foul line as he did not get to the line as often as he normally does.

“Sometimes, it’s just the way the ball bounces but overall, I think we did a terrific job on him,” said Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. “He’s extremely talented, he’s a tough guard so you’ve gotta send multiple bodies for him to get off the ball. You look at the numbers and you see that he’s scored 27, but over the last five he’s averaging closer to 40 and we kind of forced him into some tough twos, think held him to about 41% from the field.”

This was a tough start to the month of February for the big fella after he had a terrific month of January averaging 34 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the floor. The Wizards did a terrific job of sending waves of defenders at him such as Daniel Gafford, Montrezl Harrell, and others in order to bother him.

“Not going to keep him from catching it, but when he caught it, we had him jumping up at times and doubling but very fitting,” Unseld Jr. added. “I thought it was a pretty decent carry-over from the bulk of last night. Second half of last night, outside of like the last five minutes, I thought we were playing well, but for it to pay off tonight (Wednesday), I think a great win for our guys.”

Give the Wizards credit, they did a terrific job on Embiid. The Sixers now must go back to the drawing board and get ready for a big matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. impressed by Sixers star Joel Embiid

Washington Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. has been impressed with Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is one of the dominant players in the NBA. The way he can score in the low post, knock down mid-range jumpers and get to the foul line is challenging to stop, enabling him to have a big impact every night.

Add his ability to now pass the ball out of the post, and it is tough to come up with new ways to stop Embiid. Then there is his ability to protect the rim and make plays on the defensive end.

Before the Sixers knocked off host Washington, Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. discussed what impressed him the most about Embiid.

“His versatility,” said Unseld Jr. “His size and strength obviously is one thing. His ability to … play inside and out, play off the bounce. In every area, he’s effective. Whether it’s the top of the floor, off the elbows, in the post, not only as a scorer, but a passer.”

Opposing defenses continue to throw different double teams at Embiid, and he has attacked them the right way. He has made smart decisions with the pass and displayed an understanding of when to score and when to allow others to make plays.

The Wizards sent numerous doubles toward Embiid on Sunday, but he still had 36 points and 13 rebounds. The big fella has continued to make strides, which is why the Sixers are still considered a threat in the East.

“He’s a willing playmaker,” Unseld Jr. added. “He’s able to pick you apart if you’re not clean with your coverage.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Rockets coaching interviews: Unseld, Silas, Atkinson now complete

David Vanterpool, Jeff Van Gundy, Tyronn Lue, and John Lucas are still on Houston’s list to be interviewed, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN.

According to Marc J. Spears of ESPN‘s The Undefeated, the Houston Rockets have already interviewed Denver assistant Wes Unseld Jr., Dallas assistant Stephen Silas, and former Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson as potential replacements for Mike D’Antoni as head coach.

Unseld has served as an assistant coach since 2005, and he’s been with the Nuggets from 2015 onward. Now 44 years old, Unseld Jr. was considered a key contributor to Denver’s success in the 2019-20 season — which culminated in a Western Conference Finals berth.

Unseld Jr. brings significant NBA pedigree, since his late father (Wes Unseld) was an NBA player, coach, and front office executive.

As for Atkinson and Silas, here’s what we wrote about them in our initial coaching hot board for the 2020 Rockets search.

Kenny Atkinson

Pros: The former Brooklyn head coach was immediately listed as a potential candidate by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, and he has prior experience with Houston as the Rockets’ director of player development during the first season of Daryl Morey’s tenure. The 53-year-old is very analytics-minded, with a history of playing fast-paced, smaller lineups.

Cons: While Atkinson took over a disastrous situation with the Nets and clearly improved it, he only had one winning season in four years, and that was at just 42-40. He hasn’t had proven success in the playoffs, and the Rockets are clearly in a win-now mode. Is he ready to go from a rebuilding situation, where expectations were fairly minimal, to the immediate pressure of a contender? There’s also no known connection between Atkinson and either James Harden or Russell Westbrook.

Stephen Silas

Pros: The Dallas assistant was a surprising finalist for the Rockets job in 2016 before it went to D’Antoni, which suggests that he interviewed very well with Morey and the front office. His Mavs just finished up a season in which they had (statistically) the most efficient offense in NBA history. At 47 years old, he’s among the youngest of the popular options and could conceivably be around for a long time.

Cons: As with Chris Finch, he hasn’t previously been an NBA head coach. Is this the time for the Rockets to take that risk?

While Silas was a serious candidate when the Houston job was last available in 2016, there were different circumstances at that time. Harden was just 27 years old, and the Rockets were coming off a 41-41 season. To some extent, it was a rebuilding (or at least retooling) situation back then. That is not the case now. There also doesn’t seem to be much history between Silas and either Harden or Westbrook.

Other candidates to be interviewed in GM Daryl Morey‘s search will include recent Los Angeles Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue; Minnesota assistant David Vanterpool; former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy; and current assistant John Lucas. There is no clear timetable for a hire.

If the Rockets desire an in-person interview with all candidates, Van Gundy would not be available until at least next week. That’s because he’s still residing at the league’s “bubble” in Florida, where he’s broadcasting the NBA Finals for ABC. The earliest the series could end is Friday night.

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Rockets likely to consider Stephen Silas, Kenny Atkinson, Wes Unseld

Silas, Atkinson, and Unseld could join a search that is believed to already include Doc Rivers, Ty Lue, Jeff Van Gundy, and Sam Cassell.

The Houston Rockets are expected to check in with former NBA head coach Kenny Atkinson and current assistants Stephen Silas and Wes Unseld Jr. as part of the ongoing search to replace Mike D’Antoni.

The initial list also includes well-reported targets such as Doc Rivers, Tyronn Lue, Jeff Van Gundy, and possibly Sam Cassell, according to a Monday night report by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Unseld has served as an assistant coach since 2005, and he’s been with the Denver Nuggets from 2015 onward. Now 44 years old, Unseld Jr. was considered a key contributor to Denver’s success in the 2019-20 season — which culminated in a Western Conference Finals berth.

Unseld Jr. brings significant NBA pedigree, since his late father (Wes Unseld) was an NBA player, coach, and front office executive.

As for Atkinson and Silas, here’s what we wrote about them in our initial coaching hot board for the 2020 Rockets search.

Kenny Atkinson

Pros: The former Brooklyn head coach was listed as a potential candidate by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, and he has experience with Houston as the Rockets’ director of player development during the first season of Morey’s tenure. The 53-year-old is very analytics-minded, with a history of playing fast-paced, smaller lineups.

Cons: While Atkinson took over a disastrous situation with the Nets and clearly improved it, he only had one winning season in four years, and that was at just 42-40. He hasn’t had proven success in the playoffs, and the Rockets are clearly in a win-now mode. Is he ready to go from a rebuilding situation, where expectations were fairly minimal, to the immediate pressure of a contender? There’s also no known connection between Atkinson and either James Harden or Russell Westbrook.

Stephen Silas

Pros: The Dallas assistant was a surprising finalist for the Rockets job in 2016 before it went to D’Antoni, which suggests that he interviewed very well with Morey and the front office. His Mavs just finished up a season in which they had (statistically) the most efficient offense in NBA history. At 47 years old, he’s among the youngest of the popular options and could conceivably be around for a long time.

Cons: As with Chris Finch, he hasn’t previously been an NBA head coach. Is this the time for the Rockets to take that risk?

While Silas was a serious candidate when the Houston job was last available in 2016, there were different circumstances at that time. Harden was just 27 years old, and the Rockets were coming off a 41-41 season. To some extent, it was a rebuilding (or at least retooling) situation back then. That is not the case now. There also doesn’t seem to be much history between Silas and either Harden or Westbrook.

There’s no clear timetable for the next step of Houston’s 2020 search. However, with six jobs now currently vacated (Rockets, 76ers, Pacers, Thunder, Pelicans, and Clippers), there could be pressure to move more quickly based on potential competition from other suitors.

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