Details. Details. Details. That has been the most commonly used term from the Suns at training camp and seems to be a major emphasis in Head Coach Monty Williams’ teaching philosophy.
“I’ve hit them with a lot,” Williams said. “I’m sure they are overloaded, which I like. When you put in a new system, there’s a lot of teaching, a lot comprehension, a lot of communication. We’ve played a lot the last couple of days to implement what we are teaching.”
Even just a few days into camp, Tyler Johnson is quickly seeing the preciseness and specifics involved in Coach Williams’ system.
“The coaching staff does a great job of going over the details of exactly what they want,” Johnson said. “They don’t usually let too many of those things go by the wayside. I think it’s been really good so far.”
Coach Williams has developed an environment to get the most out of the of his players, including creating a game-like atmosphere throughout camp. Pumping in stadium and crowd noises has helped elevate the intensity on the court and the players are feeling the energy
“It’s creative and you can’t hear yourself really,” Ayton said, “That’s paying attention to detail. He wants to condition our minds and our hearts and how we approach the game. Things like that, you really have to lock in. When the music is going, they turn it up louder and louder, it’s fun. It feels like you’re in a real game. I love it.”
Those details that Coach Williams has been preaching and implementing have gone beyond the court as well as team bonding has been a point of emphasis since the new coaching staff has taken over.
“Paying attention to detail, that’s how teams win games, especially off the court,” Ayton said. “Knowing stuff about one another. All my teammates, we share things about each other and just have a vibe.”
Devin Booker took the initiative this offseason to tip-off the team comradery as he held a players-only trip to Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago.
“I talked to Devin earlier this summer and he was telling me what he wanted to do and I was like, ‘Okay. Run with it,” Williams said. “Guys show leadership in different ways. Sometimes we look at leaders like they have to be a four-star general and tell everybody what to do. Sometimes you can show your leadership in serving other guys and I think that’s what Devin did.”
Coach Williams was proud of the Suns star for stepping up and bringing the team together, while many other NBA players were still enjoying their summer before the season begins.
“Anytime those guys take the initiative to get together and learn more about each other, you applaud that,” Williams said. “I do like it when guys take the leadership role in that regard. It can only help your program.”
The off-the-court team bonding didn’t stop there as Coach Williams has continued to bring the team together during training camp in Flagstaff.
“We went bowling last night and just hung out, goofed around,” Williams said. “I think it’s good for all of us to see each other away from the court, laughing at each other and talking about stuff. I think that’s a byproduct of what they already did in California and what we do every day. That stuff helps your program. Helps you learn your guys and hopefully it helps us stay together.”
Whether it’s the details on the court or off of it, Coach Williams is continuing to preach and the team seems to be responding accordingly.
“Surprisingly for having a lot of new faces, everybody really does get along,” Johnson said. “If you have trust for somebody off the court, usually it translates onto the court. You can never really get too many of those moments together.”