Getty Doc Rivers and Ty Lue during the NBA Bubble.
The Phoenix Suns are amid an offseason of transition where changes are on the horizon following their second-round elimination at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. The Suns have already parted ways with their head coach Monty Williams who led them to the NBA Finals in 2021, where they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Finding a replacement for Williams will not be an easy task, as he was part of the culture shift that took Phoenix from being a lottery team to a title contender. Remy Mastey of Sports Illustrated says Doc Rivers would be the perfect replacement.
“Rivers’ past endeavors make him an interesting candidate for the job as not only will he be able to mentor the younger players already on the team, but just his name alone could attract free agents to come to the Valley,” Mastey writes.
“Through his long coaching career, Rivers is known to be fair but tough. He has had the opportunity to coach many star players in the past including Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Paul Pierce, and Kawhi Leonard. One main message he preaches is accountability no matter what kind of player one might be.”
Rivers Could Bring ‘Accountability’ to Phoenix
How Phoenix’s roster will look heading into the 2023-24 season remains a question mark. One would think it is more likely that they will improve than decline. But the talent level in Phoenix has not been inadequate for some time. They acquired both Chris Paul and Kevin Durant via trades without sacrificing Devin Booker or Deandre Ayton.
The issue with the Suns has always been executing in big moments, which their top guys have failed to do in the last three seasons. Doc Rivers was the coach that ushered in the ‘Big 3’ era with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce on the Boston Celtics, who he led to an NBA title in 2008. Mastey believes that Rivers’ experience coaching stars could benefit the Suns because he could hold Booker and Durant accountable and light a fire in Deandre Ayton.
“The Suns have two superstars in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker – having a coach like Rivers challenging and holding them accountable would help the two stars grow as players. It will also help Deandre Ayton if he remains in Phoenix. The one thing Ayton needs most is to be held accountable for his lack of aggression, and Rivers would do just that,” Mastey added.
“Rivers also holds the championship pedigree the Suns are reportedly in search of, winning a title with the Celtics in 2008.”
Doc Rivers Has Questionable History
But everything with Rivers and his past experiences are not all peaches and cream. In his previous stop with the Los Angeles Clippers, he coached an All-Star front of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Despite that team having a plethora of talent, which included Sixth Man of the Year winners Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams, the Clippers were never able to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
The end of Rivers’ time in Los Angeles ended unceremoniously, when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the NBA Bubble.
In his most recent stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, he paired Ben Simmons and James Harden with reigning league MVP Joel Embiid (at separate times) and had minimal success. Rivers has had opportunities to coach some of the top talents in the NBA and, more often than not, has come up empty.
It is something to consider as the Suns go through their coaching search.