Monty Williams, Phoenix Suns
Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, there was a portion of basketball fans that were giving the Phoenix Suns an outside shot at making the playoffs in the Western Conference. The thought was that the continued development of Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, coupled with the hiring of Monty Williams, was going to help the Suns surge in the standings.
Statistically speaking, you can make a case for Williams’ impact. Compared to last season, the Suns are head and shoulders better this season. Phoenix was ranked 16th on offense, 19th on defense, and 17th in net rating. Last season, they were 28th offensively, 29th defensively, and 29th in net rating.
Williams gets a passing grade, but it’s difficult to give him anything higher than a C+ considering this team was still six games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and 13 games under .500 on the season. With that said, that doesn’t mean you can’t be hopeful about their future.
Grade: C+