3 reasons the Phoenix Suns have the NBA’s worst culture
By Dan Volpone
The players don’t trust the coach
The Phoenix Suns are having all kinds of issues, and it starts with not trusting the coach. Igor Kokoskov hasn’t been great so far this season, but adding to the challenge of being a first year coach is the fact that his players haven’t seemed to get behind him.
Against the Boston Celtics, the Suns blew a 20 point halftime lead but were still up three with a few seconds to play. Pathetic defense lead to a wide open three for Marcus Morris, and the Suns went on to lose in overtime. After the game, Kokoskov was unhappy with the execution of his wishes on the final play.
Coach Igor Kokoskov on if #Suns were supposed to foul on last poss of regulation: "You take the blame and the responsibility as a coach...the coverage was to "black" any ball screen, which is switching. And also any catch that far out from the 3-point line, (the call) is to foul"
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) November 9, 2018
Then, after a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Kokoskov remarked that he believed Deandre Ayton could improve his aggressiveness. It was an extremely fair criticism, and a coach wanting you to shoot more could really be seen as a compliment. But for some reason, Ayton couldn’t seem to get on board with what his coach had to say.
Igor Kokoskov believes Deandre Ayton has room to improve his aggressiveness early in games. Ayton doesn't see it that way. https://t.co/mPSaPPFoih
— azcentral sports (@azcsports) November 11, 2018
The Phoenix Suns are a team full of young players that absolutely need coaching, but for some reason, they don’t seem to think they do. This comment from Ayton suggests both a lack of respect for his coach and (even worse) a lack of a killer instinct the NBA’s best players all seem to have. Igor Kokoskov is a brand new coach who can’t seem to gain the trust of his players, causing dysfunction and a horrible culture.