Five things to know about Wes Unseld Jr.
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Here are five things you need to know about Wes Unseld Jr.:
NBA start
Unseld landed his first NBA job in 1997, four days after graduating from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. It was a scouting position with the Wizards, whose general manager was Unseld's hall-of-fame father.
Unseld s pent ni ne years as an advance pro scout in Washington. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2005, and he stayed with the Wizards through 2011.
Perfect fit
Unseld was an assistant coach in Golden State and Orlando after leaving Washington.
In 2015, Denver hired him to join the staff of new head coach Michael Malone.
The Nuggets were an ideal
fit.
Tim Connelly, Denver's president of basketball operations, grew up in Baltimore. He and Unseld played against each other in high school, and later worked together with the Wizards.
Unseld just finished his fifth season in Denver. The Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Lakers.
Defensive mind
Unseld is Denver' s defensive coordinator.
The Nuggets ranked 16th in defensive rating in the regular season, but Malone praised Unseld and the team's defense after a Game 7 win against the Clippers in the second round of the playoffs.
The Clippers boasted the No. 2 offense in the regular season, but Denver limited them to 98 and 89 points in Games 6 and 7.
“Wes Unseld should be a head coach,” Malone said after the series. “Our defense in the last three games has been phenomenal.”
Next step
Unseld interviewed with the Clippers and Rockets for their head coaching vacancies, according to The Denver Post.
The Clippers hired Ty Lue, but the Rockets job is still open.
Son of legend
Wes Unseld, an All-American at Louisville, was the No. 2 pick in the 1968 NBA Draft.
Unseld played his entire pro career for the Bullets, first in Baltimore, and then in nearby Washington, D. C ., where the Bullets relocated in 1973.
Unseld was cr owned the 1968-69 MVP in his rookie season. He and Wilt Chamberlain are the only players to win MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
Unseld was a five-time All- Star, and he led the Bullets to the 1977-78 NBA championship. The 6- foot -7 center averaged 10.8 points and 14 rebounds per game in his 13-year career.
The hall off amer coached the Bullets from 1987-94, and he was Washington' s general manager from 1996-03.
Unseld died in June at the age of 74.