Former Suns Coach Monty Williams Looks Back on Special Era in Phoenix

The Phoenix Suns history with head coaches over the years has been a mixed bag, particularly over the last 15 years. 

From Jeff Hornacek, to Earl Watson, to Mike Budenholzer - the Suns have seldom been able to find a consistent voice that truly leads over the years.

Monty Williams was different. 

The former NBA player-turned coach was hired by the Suns in May of 2019 - a move that triggered the most successful stint by the franchise since the Steve Nash led teams from 2005-10.

While Williams' tenure went sour in an abrupt manner, he arguably remains the most successful head coach in franchise history (outside of Cotton Fitzsimmons), with the 54-year old ultimately valuing his time as the leader of the Suns despite the frosty exit. 

This was expressed during a recent appearance on "The Twins Take Podcast" - with Williams specifically reminiscing on the 2021 squad that came within two victories of an NBA title.

“I appreciated every win. We were able to make a trade for Chris Paul; as good as Chris was, I also thought about Ricky Rubio, who helped us build a foundation with that team. It was an opportunity to be part of that season. It was just one of those situations where I would catch myself like ‘Man… I get to be a part of this.’” 

The 2020-21 run was certainly a magical one, as Phoenix was able to carry momentum from an 8-0 run in the Orlando bubble in August of 2020 into a trade for Paul. The pairing of Paul and Devin Booker was expected to elevate the Suns into a team firmly within the playoff picture, but the team shocked the NBA world by earning a 51-21 record over the shortened season. 

The two-seeded Suns were pitted against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, which was the series that confirmed that Williams was truly in charge of an elite team that had near-perfect synergy. 

While the Suns lost four games in a row to the Milwaukee Bucks in the quest to secure their first ever league title, they came back the next season with a 64 win output in the regular season - again confirming Williams' pull over the locker room. 

A playoff exit that featured the rapid unraveling of on-court chemistry ultimately doomed Williams - who was fired just one year later following another lopsided loss in an elimination game. However, the four seasons that he led the team in cannot be looked at as anything less than a resounding success. Williams built the foundation that compelled the organization to go all-in on chasing a title, which is simply something that was non-existent in the near-decade prior.

The ultimate moral of the story is that things can change in an instant in the NBA, but that shouldn't derail how genuinely historic accomplishments are consumed by a fanbase. 

Second-year head coach Jordan Ott is now tasked with bringing Phoenix back to the NBA Finals. While he is off to a quality start to his tenure, the odds are still stacked against this current iteration of the Suns - will the 41-year old head man and his exceptional staff manage to overcome the roadblocks that await them in the long-run?