Former Utah Jazz assistant coach Igor Kokoskov is finding out that his new gig with the Phoenix Suns may turn out tougher than originally imagined.
Earning a head coaching gig at the NBA level is an amazing accomplishment. But that doesn’t change the fact that more times than not, it’s a challenging ride. Such is particularly true about first-time NBA head coaches in new roles with teams that have struggled for a long time (which is usually why a new coach was brought in in the first place). A perfect example of that situation can be found with former Utah Jazz assistant coach Igor Kokoskov.
Kokoskov was a big part of Utah’s success last season as his brilliant basketball mind helped the Jazz excel and he clearly won the respect of his players. His departure was definitely an occasion for sadness at the thought of him leaving Utah, but one of happiness as well for his new opportunity with the Phoenix Suns.
There was and still is optimism that Igor Kokoskov can help turn around a franchise that’s struggled mightily in recent years, not only in basketball performance but also in culture. The Suns have gained a reputation as team that doesn’t put in a lot of effort, plays undisciplined ball and has some attitude and chemistry issues. The hope was that Igor could come in and help get these young guns back on a right and winning track.
He may ultimately be able to do just that. This summer, young Suns standout Josh Jackson was quick to praise Coach Kokoskov and identify him as a good fit for this Phoenix squad. However, Igor is clearly discovering the hard way that breaking a team of bad habits and turning old attitudes around can be a hard task.
Following Phoenix’s blowout 115-93 preseason loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Igor was less than pleased with the performance of his Suns squad. Per The Athletic’s Gina Mizell, he had the following pointed remarks to make that you can see in the tweet below–
More from Igor Kokoskov's postgame opening statement: "I don’t think we played hard, and that’s not good. I told the guys, we as an organization, as a team, we’re fighting to change (our) reputation…and individually, we’re fighting for jobs." #Suns https://t.co/jhAkEUsZm6
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) October 6, 2018
The part where he stated, “I don’t think we played hard, and that’s not good” really stands out to me. Especially after coming from a Jazz team that has a reputation for giving their all night in and night out, this has to be a tough adjustment for Igor. The fact that the Suns are falling so quickly into old habits despite a new coach and despite the electrifying play of the number one overall draft pick Deandre Ayton is a big concern.
Obviously, I don’t want any team to do better than the Utah Jazz or to beat them. But for the sake of Igor Kokoskov, who was always an awesome part of the Jazz family, I hope he can overcome these early challenges and help turn Phoenix around. They’ve been a poor team for quite some time now, and their fans certainly deserve, at a minimum, a team that’s willing to lay it all out on the line each and every game.
Unfortunately, getting them to do so may prove to be a more difficult task than previously believed. To have such issues and concerns this early in preseason definitely isn’t a good sign, especially for a team that has every reason and opportunity to turn over a new leaf and pursue a new mentality. I hope Igor is up to the task and can get his young squad to rise to the challenge.
It may just end up being a tougher road than even he originally imagined.