Five bold predictions for Igor Kokoskov in his first year
By Adam Maynes
The Phoenix Suns have a new head coach in Igor Kokoskov, a man who comes with both a strong offensive and defensive pedigree. Here are five bold predictions for Kokoskov in his first season as the Suns’ Head Coach.
The Phoenix Suns have had a rough few years (eight, to be exact) and are in need of a fresh start.
Having Devin Booker beginning to enter his prime helps; adding Deandre Ayton with the first overall pick is huge; and the change at head coach might make all the difference in the world.
It is with the head coach, Igor Kokoskov that this post focuses on, not on what the players on the team will do, but what the architect of the plan will do to help the team pull off some momentous events in what will likely otherwise be a season that is less remembered for “team” achievements, and more for individual ones.
Kokoskov is known as an offensive genius. He is somewhat of a point guard whisperer and has helped a number of individual players up their game or reach their potential earlier in their careers, most notably Steve Nash and Donovan Mitchell.
However, he also has a tremendous defensive background coming from the Detroit Pistons of the early 2000’s, specifically the 2003-04 team that won the NBA Championship defeating the seemingly invincible Los Angeles Lakers to do so, and most recently the Utah Jazz, who in 2017-18 were arguably the best defensive team in the league.
Bringing this background and his specific traits to the Phoenix Suns will help to improve upon their regular season record of the past few seasons, no doubt. The question though is to what extent.
By offering five bold predictions, signs that Kokoskov will help them take that next step forward, here is an answer to that question.