Memphis Grizzlies: Would Igor Kokoskov Be Positive Change at Head Coach?

Igor Kokoskov is the latest name to surface in the Memphis Grizzlies’ pursuit of a new head coach, but is he a better candidate than the rest of the field?

It is approaching the two-month mark since the 2018-19 NBA regular season came to a close and the Memphis Grizzlies decided to make a change at the head coach position. In what has been unusual for the Grizzlies’ norms, they are taking their time in finding the right person to fill the role. Igor Kokoskov is now the fourth candidate in the mix.

Kokoskov hit the open market after being placed on the chopping block by the Phoenix Suns at nearly the same time the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways with J.B. Bickerstaff.   Though Igor was only handed one full season in the head coaching role, he has 17 seasons underneath his belt with the assistant coach title. Now, there is a possibility he will continue his climb as a member of the Grizzlies organization, according to ESPN‘s Tim Bontemps.

Though Igor Kokoskov led the Suns to a miserable 19-63 record this season, he has been a part of some impressive teams in the past. He was an assistant for the 2000s squads of the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns. However, being a head coach is obviously a much larger and difficult task.

One season does not provide a lot of data to make a stance in or out of favor of Kokoskov. You really have to dive deeper into the roles with teams which has led him to this point in his NBA career.

For instance, the Suns have always been known as a high-scoring, run-and-gun team, so it is not much of a surprise to see them ranked 28th in team defense. That is part of a culture — and a current roster — that Kokoskov was not able to change. Who could blame him?

However, if you dive into some of the NBA teams Igor Kokoskov has assisted, a handful of them have been defense-first in their approach to games. Perhaps he could mold the Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. into a Defensive Player of the Year a la Detroit’s Ben Wallace? He could also teach him to defend the paint/rim without fouling, much like Utah’s Rudy Gobert.

If anything, this should be the top thing on the minds of the Grizzlies’ restructed Front Office. Jackson Jr. is the future and deserves as much investment as possible from Memphis’ end.

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Additionally, something that should really be considered is the positive development of 2018’s No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick — Deandre Ayton — while Igor Kokoskov’s coaching. Ayton lived up to much of the hype, and is now a top-three finalist for the season’s Rookie of the Year award. Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. is very comparable to Ayton, and while not being as high of a Draft pick, Jaren is widely considered to have the higher ceiling. Could Igor make him great?

Igor Kokoskov is the fourth candidate to be placed in the mix for the Memphis Grizzlies’ head coaching job, joining Alex Jensen, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Jarron Collins. Kokoskov is the only candidate who brings prior NBA head coaching experience to the table, but this is not to slight the aforementioned field as a whole. Each name provides a unique aspect to the new direction the Grizzlies are looking to take in this next era of the franchise.

Kokoskov is better than his 19-63 record suggests, but his remains a Mystery Man of sorts. He is as good of a candidate as the other three guys the Grizzlies are considering, if not the best of the bunch thus far. It would not be a bad decision if Memphis would proceed with the former Phoenix Suns head coach. It could potentially turn Jaren Jackson Jr. into the league’s best defensive big man, which is what the Grizzlies ultimately want.