Head Coach Monty Williams received high-praise from the General Managers around the NBA as he was voted the top new or relocated head coach to make the biggest impact on his new team.
Every year the league’s decision-makers respond to 50 questions pertaining to the upcoming season for NBA.com’s annual GM Survery. Phoenix’s Head Coach received 43 percent of the overall votes, over double the next closest (Frank Vogel, 21 percent).
This came as no surprise to Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. who has seen first-hand what makes Williams one of the most respected coaches in the NBA.
“I see it every day,” Oubre said. “He comes into work. He’s a professional. You hear all the myths about Monty Williams and they’re all true. The guy’s just a genuine, selfless individual. He’s somebody that we want to play for.”
While Williams still carries over his competitive spirit from his playing days, one thing that has stood out to Oubre is his coach's balance between passion and doing the right thing at the right time.
“Yesterday, for instance, we’re in practice,” Oubre said. “We’re scrimmaging and I’m getting on our refs. I’m passionate, but I was a little too much. Instead of Coach coming up to me yesterday, getting on me, he said he thought about it overnight. He came up to me this morning before practice and told me about myself a little bit. I can only respect that because he told me, ‘You were around your peers. I’m not going to embarrass you when you’re competing and you’re passionate.’ He always says he’s not going to yell at us. He’s going to teach us. I’m just learning everyday under this man. It’s a blessing.”
The players in the Suns locker room have faith in their coach and clearly so do the GMs around the league. However, Williams feels the praise from the GM’s has more to do with the team around him rather than his own personal brand.
“This is about the players,” Williams said. “It’s a player’s league. The success we have will be based upon the production that they put forth on the court. That’s my mindset. I think it says more about our team and the guys we brought in. Ultimately, my goal is to steward this organization in the locker room, on the court and other areas.”
Williams focus is on building upon the foundation that the Suns own General Manager in James Jones has built.
“I’ve always said improve the culture,” Williams said. “There are things here that are good. My job was to improve it. We’ve tried to do it with listening, making small corrections if needed and, the biggest thing, our players have submitted to the things we’ve tried to change. We’ve listened to them on somethings that they wanted to change. I want to improve what we have here. That’s my goal.”
Williams will officially begin his coaching career in Phoenix on Wednesday as the Suns open the season against the Sacramento Kings. Don’t miss the Coca-Cola & Fry’s Food Stores Tip-Off at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Get your tickets HERE!