Report: Suns’ Young in hunt for Nets job
MINNEAPOLIS — Maybe the time has come for Kevin Young to become an NBA head coach.
The Athletic reported the Phoenix Suns associate head coach is a finalist for the Brooklyn Nets head coaching job along with Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and former Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Sources confirmed to The Arizona Republic that Young has been involved in the interview process for openings. ESPN reported he was an ‘expected’ candidate for the Charlotte Hornets position along with Fernandez.
The 42-year-old Young coached Nets wing Mikal Bridges and forward Cam Johnson when the ‘twins’ were in Phoenix. So he has some familiarity with two key players for the Nets.
Young and Fernandez were finalists for the Suns head coaching job before Frank Vogel was hired to replace Monty Williams. Young was the only holdover from Williams’ coaching staff as the Suns made him the highest-paid NBA assistant at more than $2 million a year.
Now Young is in the running for another head coaching job. He was linked to head coach vacancies in Utah, Houston and Milwaukee as he was a head coach in the G League for three teams.
Considering he’s been a head coach before in the G League where current NBA head coaches like Nick Nurse (76ers), who won an NBA title coaching the Raptors, and Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), that alone makes Young someone to consider. Fernandez was also a head coach in the G League in Canton.
Young has also worked with assistants who became first-time NBA head coaches. Young was in Philadelphia with Ime Udoka in the 2019-20 season. Two years later, the Celtics hired Udoka, who coached them to the 2022 finals.
Willie Green and Young were on the same staff under Williams when Phoenix reached the finals in 2021. A lead assistant with the Suns, Green landed the Pelicans head coaching job.
Young has been in the environment of coaches who have ended up where he’s trying to go. He’s not only been part of new staffs, but Young has seen how coaching staffs are put together.
He’s viewed as an offensive coach, but he has built relationships with players like Suns All-Star Devin Booker. Having a reputation as someone the players can identify with can go a long way in landing a head coaching job.
The time may be right for him to now lead his own team and build it in his image. He’s at an ideal age to be a head coach, has enough experience of going on deep playoff runs, coaching personalities and has gone through the interview process enough to what would be expected of him.
Budenholzer is a strong candidate because he won an NBA championship coaching the Bucks over the Suns in 2021. Fernandez has been in the running for head coaching positions like Young.
When a coach is in that type of company for consecutive years, that’s an indication the league thinks he’s an NBA head coach. There’s only one more step to take.
Maybe it’s time for Young to take that final one and become an NBA head coach.