(PHOENIX) — Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams has been chosen as the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year, sources tell ESPN.
The award is voted on by all 30 of the NBA’s head coaches.
Williams took over the Suns in 2019, inheriting a team that had gone just 19-63. His first season at the helm saw the team improve by 15 wins last year. The team, boosted by the arrival of veteran point guard Chris Paul, improved by another 17 games this season, finishing 51-21 and taking second place in the Western Conference.
The team hadn’t won the Pacific Division since 2007, before this season.
In the first round, Phoenix will take on the winner of the play-in tournament matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
Other coaches receiving votes included Washington’s Scott Brooks, Denver’s Michael Malone, Atlanta’s Nate McMillan, Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers, Utah’s Quin Snyder, and New York’s Tom Thibodeau.
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
