Igor

Kokoskov

Kokoskov, who most recently was a member of the Nets coaching staff, will serve as Quin Snyder’s top assistant. And the two have history, as Kokoskov was a member of Snyder’s coaching staff at Missouri and with the Utah Jazz. He also boasts a year of NBA head coaching experience, leading the Suns during the 2018-19 campaign.

Current Nets head coach Steve Nash has a long-standing relationship with Kokoskov, who has a reputation for player development, something Nets GM Sean Marks recently stated his team must get back to. Kokoskov won an NBA title as a Pistons assistant coach in 2004, and he’ll not only be an experienced sounding board for Nash, but a trusted one, per Lewis. The Nets had a disastrous season highlighted by getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Celtics, who are currently up 1-0 on the Warriors in the NBA Finals, so any changes are likely welcomed with open arms.

Kokoskov does have prior NBA coaching experience, as he has worked for six different franchises. That includes a one-year run as Suns head coach during the 2018-19 season. A possible connection to the Mavericks is intriguing, due to his having coached Luka Doncic during Slovenia’s run to the 2017 EuroBasket title. Before leaving to coach in Turkey, Kokoskov was most recently a member of the Kings staff during the 2019-20 season.

Kokoskov, who served as Suns head coach during the 2018-19 season, is headed back across the pond after tallying 18 total years of NBA coaching experience. The Kings will be down an assistant on the sideline for the remainder of its games in Orlando, but this isn’t going to have any impact in fantasy hoops.

Kokoskov has 18 years of experience in the NBA for six different franchises, including serving as the Suns’ head coach in 2018-19. He was fired after a 19-63 record with Phoenix, and recently missed out on the Grizzlies’ head coaching gig, but it didn’t take Kokoskov long to land another job on the sidelines.

Memphis parted ways with coach J.B. Bickerstaff as part of an extensive shakeup in April, and he’s since signed on with the Cavs’ staff. We haven’t heard much about their coaching search, even as other teams vacuum up the leading candidates, so maybe Kokoskov is on their short list just months after he was fired by Phoenix.

That was fast. Igor lasted just one season in Phoenix and finished with a 19-63 record. The timing here is certainly a bit odd, so maybe the Suns have another name in mind already. The Suns front office and ownership continue to let the franchise down and the next coach will be Devin Booker’s fifth in five years. The vacant position will be appealing though, as the Suns are armed with a lot of young talent and will have a 14% shot at landing Zion Williamson. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Philly assistant Monty Williams will be a primary candidate to replace Igor.

Prunty was the interim head coach for the Bucks in 2017-18 after they let Jason Kidd go, finishing with a 21-16 record. He’ll be the lead assistant for head coach Igor Kokoskov in Phoenix.