#3 Adrian Griffin of the Toronto Raptors
Adrian, at 45-years-old, is shaping up to be a better coach than he was a player. He’s very smart and is currently working on his doctorate degree in leadership studies.
His playing career ended in 2008 and the very next season he was hired by Milwaukee Bucks head coach Scott Skiles as an assistant, where he stayed the next two seasons. In 2010, he became an assistant for the Chicago Bulls under Tom Thibodeau where he stayed for five seasons.
In 2014, he accepted an offer to work with the USA coaching staff on the team that won the Gold Medal in 2014 which featured many stars including Steph Curry, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
The next season, he spent as the top assistant coach for the Orlando Magic in 2015-16. Then he was hired by the Oklahoma City Thunder as their lead assistant under head coach Billy Donovan for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Last season he was hired by the Toronto Raptors to be the lead assistant under Nick Nurse.
The Toronto Raptors had a 58-24 regular season record this season, a .707 winning percentage, were the second best team in the Eastern conference and are one of the eight teams remaining in the playoffs right now.
One of the best developments for the Raptors this year has been the leap forward that Pascal Siakam has made and a lot of that is thanks to the player development ability of Griffin. Suns fans know Siakam too well from a buzzer beater he nailed to defeat Phoenix this season.
Adrian is a quick learner, soaks up information and has been able to do so from some great coaches. Here is a quick quote a few years ago from Thibs, according to Sporting News.
"“Great, great,” Thibodeau said of Griffin. “I am hopeful that he’ll get more consideration, head-coaching opportunities. He has done a terrific job, he is strong in all areas, he is a great communicator, leader, and a great teacher. I’m hopeful, I’m hopeful for him, I think he’s deserving.”"
The Suns could do a whole lot worse than giving Griffin a chance. He can communicate, lead and develop while he’d also be coming from a winning environment.