Utah Jazz: Five intriguing story lines that have emerged from 2018 Playoffs
Will Igor Kokoskov make the Suns an appealing destination for former Jazzmen?
This is a bit of an interesting one, but it deserves consideration all the same. During the 2018 NBA Playoffs, it was announced that Utah Jazz assistant coach extraordinaire Igor Kokoskov had been hired for the Phoenix Suns head coaching job. Kokoskov has been widely respected and heralded as an excellent coach for the Jazz and could very well play an instrumental role in turning the Suns around.
Based on the reactions of several Jazz players on Twitter, as well as interactions throughout the past few seasons, it’s quite clear how respected Igor is by those that he works with.
https://twitter.com/Joeingles7/status/991913404066664448
There is no one who deserve it more than him. I’m telling you. So happy when good things happen to good people. Igor for “Coach of the year” !!! 😁 pic.twitter.com/WWDbpNLChc
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) May 3, 2018
Not only that, but Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune made it clear that Kokoskov has played an enormous role in the development of Utah’s point guards including George Hill, Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto.
Top assistant and in direct coach for the point guards. Credit him with improvement from George Hill, Raul Neto and Ricky Rubio https://t.co/TUETax3QEZ
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) May 2, 2018
Hill is obviously out of the picture, but Raul Neto is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Considering he’s seen his playing time drop pretty significantly since his rookie season, and considering all the guards the Jazz have in their regular rotation including Mitchell, Rubio, Exum (assuming he’s retained) and Royce O’Neale, could Neto aim to go somewhere else next year? And could that “somewhere else” be to follow the coach that has helped him develop?
I’d say it’s entirely possible. The Suns could use some steadiness and maturity, which is exactly what Neto would help bring off the bench. Obviously, losing Neto wouldn’t be too big of a loss, but what if in the summer of 2019, then unrestricted free agent Ricky Rubio opts to follow suit? He’s revolutionized his career this season under Igor and in the tweet above, went as far as to call him the “Coach of the Year.” Could that relationship motivate him to follow Kokoskov to Phoenix?
The most pressing and realistic concern regarding Igor’s move to Phoenix may very well be with Derrick Favors. The Suns have apparently liked Derrick for some time and have the cap space to realistically add him. As Utah’s only other unrestricted free agent besides Neto, could a familiarity with Igor coupled with a hefty pay check be enough to convince Favors to look to become a member of the Suns?
Clearly this is all speculation at this point, but all three of those situations are certainly feasible and will be interesting to keep tabs on as the next two summers of free agency hit.
And that segues perfectly into story line number three…