Phoenix Suns: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

4. The head coaching search is paramount

The Suns have a lot of interesting young players outside of just Devin Booker. Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, T.J. Warren and Tyler Ulis have all shown flashes of potential, but consistency and chemistry have been major issues for such a young group.

Adding a top-three rookie and being aggressive in the offseason with free agent signings or trades will bring some much-needed talent to the Valley, but securing the right head coach to actually put that talent in positions to succeed is another matter entirely.

The Suns didn’t do their due diligence with Earl Watson, who was quickly promoted from interim to full-time head coach without conducting a single outside interview. Jay Triano has done the best he could with what he had, and Phoenix actually looked (comparatively) competent in stretches with fully healthy Devin Booker.

With that being said, Triano probably isn’t the answer for the long haul. General manager Ryan McDonough has already said the team will do its due diligence this time around, and though Triano will be given an interview, the ideal scenario might be keeping him on as an assistant and bringing in a higher profile coach to help drag this team out of the NBA’s gutters.

So what names might pop up on the Suns’ radar? Villanova’s Jay Wright would be an excellent place to start, especially since the Wildcats played as close to an NBA-style offense as you’ll see in college basketball. Unfortunately, with Wright coming off his second NCAA championship in three years, it may be difficult to pry him from such a prestigious position in college basketball.

Former Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale should be another top option, given his league-wide reputation as being a smart player’s coach, his relationship with Suns vice president of basketball operations James Jones, and yes, even his relationship with LeBron James.

His record with the Grizz won’t leap off the page, but considering the way he was ousted by Marc Gasol and how he helped lead an injury-depleted roster in a competitive playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, he’s one basketball mind who could work wonders with so much moldable talent.

Jason Kidd is another name that’s popped up because of his time with the Suns as a player, but based on the reports about the disharmony he sowed with the front offices and players alike in Brooklyn and Milwaukee, avoiding the former All-Star point guard might be the best play.

More names will rise to the surface, including ones that have already come up in speculation, like Steve Nash, Dan Majerle, Mark Jackson or Monty Williams. Maybe a current NBA assistant like Igor Kokoskov (Utah Jazz), Ettore Messina (San Antonio Spurs) or Adrian Griffin (Oklahoma City Thunder) could prove himself in an interview.

Whatever the case, nailing this head coaching hire may actually be more important than choosing between all these blue chip prospects in a top-heavy draft.