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Phoenix Suns: Pros And Cons Of Making Earl Watson Head Coach

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson looks on in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Suns 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson looks on in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Suns 116-98. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phoenix Suns
Feb 2, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns interim head coach Earl Watson prior to the game against the Toronto Raptors at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Con: Xs & Os

It’s hard to evaluate a head coach without the appropriate talent on the roster, but Watson has made several questionable decisions with his lineups. This is his first time on the job, so a learning curve is to be expected, but his value as a head coach may be limited to being the yoga instructor from Couples Retreat: “Encouragement!”

Watson is like having a motivational speaker for an NBA head coach, but even his most inspirational words will begin to fall on deaf ears if the wins don’t come with them. Phoenix is 6-9 over their last 15 games, which isn’t as underwhelming as it sounds considering who’s available these days, but the easy schedule recently has played a major factor there:

It’s not just that Phoenix’s recent record has been inflated by the level of competition; it’s some of Watson’s more questionable lineup decisions, especially when it comes to starting Alex Len and Tyson Chandler together when they’re both healthy. While the idea of a Twin Towers lineup would have been thrilling 15 years ago, we all know the NBA has moved in a completely different direction since.

Neither Len nor Chandler can spread the floor, neither one can consistently defend the perimeter and lineups featuring that big man pairing have been outscored by a whopping 15.3 points per 100 possessions on the season. The only reason it’s been somewhat passable lately is opponents like Memphis, Orlando and Minnesota have employed frontcourt lineups that the Suns actually match up well with.

We’ll cover some of his more questionable lineup decisions in a bit, but there haven’t been many signs that Watson knows what he’s doing just yet when it comes to strategy, running an actual offense and scheming a passable defense.

Next: Pro: Support

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