Russell Westbrook’s blunt response to Wizards potentially firing Scott Brooks

The Washington Wizards clinched one of the top two play-in spots in the Eastern Conference this past Sunday.

After a slow start to the season, head coach Scott Brooks’ squad really rallied in the second half of the season to win 17 of its last 23 games.

Will that be enough to save his job?

There have been murmurs about Brooks’ perilous status with the organization for months.

This week, Wizards star Russell Westbrook came out and gave his blunt assessment of Brooks’ job status and what he has meant throughout the Wizards' run in the second half of the season.

“You gotta give credit to our coach, number one,” he said, per Fred Katz of The Athletic.

“Behind the scenes, Scottie is one hell of a coach. … All of the outside noise, it really doesn’t matter because we know how important he is, and I know how important he is to myself and to the team.”

When Westbrook flamed out with the Houston Rockets and was traded to the Wizards, Brooks came out with a particularly strong statement regarding him.

As such, it probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Westbrook has his coach’s back as well.

The Wizards are set to face off against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. If they ultimately prevail and make it to the playoffs, that coupled with Westbrook’s support will likely make the case for keeping Brooks much stronger.