Wes Unseld Jr on New-Look Wizards: ‘It’s Going to Take Time’

It’s been a summer of turnover for the Wizards.

Out are shooting guard Bradley Beal (Suns) and forward Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics). In are guard Jordan Poole, point guard Tyus Jones and rookie wing Bilal Coulibaly. 

Behind all those moves? New team president was Michael Winger, with some help from new GM Will Dawkins.

But coach Wes Unseld Jr. remains. He will have to serve as the steady hand to bring all of it together. And he knows it could take some patience — as he indicated in an interview with Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.

“Well, essentially, we have a new team. A lot of changes. A ton of roster turnover. You lose a franchise player in [Beal], a familiar face [in Porzingis],” Unseld told Aschburner. “You can’t discount the impact Brad has had for us in the past. But we got some pretty good talent back. Some [salary] cap flexibility, some financial flexibility.

“So it gives us a lot of latitude moving forward. With a lot of young talent — seven guys under the age of 27 — it’s going to feel different, it’s going to look different. But that’s the exciting part about making over this roster.”

Unseld will have to mesh the new with the holdovers, which include forward Kyle Kuzma and wings Corey Kispert and Deni Avdija.

”It’s going to take time. I don’t think you can fast-track that,” Unseld told Aschburner. “We have to be diligent in how we develop. Some guys will move a little quicker than others. But I anticipate guys like Deni, Corey, [center Daniel Gafford], guys who’ve been with us, are going to take a big step forward.”