Wizards forward ‘likes’ tweet dissing coach Wes Unseld Jr.

Nov 7, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Washington Wizards Head Coach Wes Unseld Jr. during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

A Washington Wizards player is causing a bit of mayhem online this week.

Wizards forward Rui Hachimura clicked “like” on a very curious tweet that mentioned both him and Washington head coach Wes Unseld Jr. by name.

The tweet (from Wizards fan @Bob2Tractor) read, “@WashWizardsFr yo my 60 year old mom and I watch every single wizards game..we are really upset that Rui Hachimura never gets the minutes he deserves. ‘We’re going to lose him to another team and watch him become a great player; shame on you coach Wes Unseld Jr’. – My Mother.”

The “like” is no longer visible on Hachimura’s public page. But another fan was able to capture a screenshot of Hachimura’s “like” before it disappeared.

It is always possible that the 24-year-old Hachimura could have accidentally “liked” the post while scrolling Twitter. But there is a foreseeable reason for Hachimura to be frustrated with Unseld. In his fourth season, Hachimura is coming off the bench and getting only 24.1 minutes per contest. As a result, Hachimura, a former top-ten pick, is averaging a mere 12.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a game (lower averages than he had in his rookie year).

The counterargument is that Kristaps Porzingis (22.0 points per game this season) and Kyle Kuzma (21.3) have been very deserving of the lion’s share of frontcourt minutes in Washington. But this is not the first time that the second-year head coach Unseld has been called into question over his handling of the Wizards’ young players.

H/T NBA Reddit