NBA Draft 2018 News: Phoenix Suns Hiring Igor Kokoskov as Head Coach Is Not an Indicator of Which Prospect They'll Pick
The 2018 NBA draft is fast approaching, and things are now at the point where fans are trying to find clues related to which prospect their favorite team may take.
With the Phoenix Suns having the best odds to land the first overall pick in the draft, all eyes are on them ahead of the lottery.
It even seemed like the franchise had recently offered a clue related to their draft plans.
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For those who may have missed it, the Suns recently hired Igor Kokoskov as their new head coach. Kokoskov is the first person to be named as an NBA coach who was not born and raised inside North America.
Kokoskov had served previously as an assistant coach with the Suns, though most recently, he was working as the lead assistant coach for the Utah Jazz.
There's another line in Kokoskov's resume that bears mentioning.
Kokoskov recently served as the head coach for the Slovenian national team, and he helped the squad win gold at FIBA EuroBasket 2017. It just so happens that one of the players on that gold medal-winning team is Luka Doncic.
Doncic is currently playing for Real Madrid, but he has already declared for the NBA draft. Currently, he is also in the running to be the number one overall selection.
So, with the Suns hiring Kokoskov, does that mean that Doncic will be the player they will take?
Well, that may not necessarily be the case, according to Suns general manager Ryan McDonough.
Speaking recently to AZCentral, McDonough acknowledged that the Suns taking Doncic in the wake of Kokoskov being named head coach is "an easy assumption to make," but he insists that they are still planning on taking the player who they think is the best prospect in the draft.
McDonough added that Doncic is in the running to be selected first overall if they do indeed end up with that pick, but he also made sure to mention that the Arizona Wildcats' DeAndre Ayton and some other players will be considered as well.
For what it's worth, Ayton does also have a connection to the Suns franchise, given where he spent his college career. It's possible that the franchise is already quite familiar with him at this point and that could help his chances of being drafted by the Suns.
While there's still no consensus for this upcoming draft, it does seem as though Doncic and Ayton have separated themselves as the two most coveted prospects available.
The Suns still need to add plenty of talent to the roster so they will likely be happy with adding either Doncic or Ayton.
The Suns will still have to win the lottery if they want the freedom to select any player from the prospect pool, and their fate, as well as the fates of several other teams, will be determined on May 15.
Teams will then have to make their official selections when the 2018 NBA draft gets underway on June 21.
More news about the 2018 NBA draft should be made available soon.
