Phoenix Suns Coaching Candidates: Kevin Young Leads List to Replace Williams

• The Phoenix Suns fired coach Monty Williams after an early playoff exit
• Champion coach Frank Vogel could replace Williams at the Phoenix helm
• The Suns can make history if they choose Becky Hammon as their coach 

The search is on for the next Phoenix Suns' head coach.

The Suns decided to part ways with Monty Williams after losing to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals.

Sports Brief looks at three possible candidates to replace Williams in Phoenix.

Kevin Young

The Suns can hire in-house and promote Young to the head coach position.

According to Chris Haynes, he appears to have the backing of many players in the Suns’ organization.

He became a head coach in Ireland at the age of 23, before becoming an assistant coach at UVU a year later, per AZ Central.

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Young made it to the NBA in 2017 when he became an assistant with the Sixers.

He stayed in Philadelphia until 2020, when the Phoenix Suns hired him.

Young was part of the coaching staff that led the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021.

Frank Vogel

Vogel is a proven winner, having won the NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

The Lakers decided to move on from Vogel after they failed to make the playoffs in the 2021-22 season.

He transformed Los Angeles and Indiana during his coaching stints there, building No. 1 defenses with his Lakers and Pacers teams.

He will look to make his mark on a Suns team that had the seventh-best defensive rating in the NBA this season, per Statmuse.

Becky Hammon 

The Suns can make history with their next coaching selection if they pick Becky Hammon to lead Phoenix in the 2023-24 campaign.

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She led the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA title and the Commissioner's Cup championship in her first year as head coach. She was named the Coach of the Year after bagging those prizes.

Hammon has NBA experience, as she spent eight years as an assistant to Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.

If Phoenix hires Hammon, she will become the first female head coach in the NBA.

Hammon is a long shot, however, to get the top job. The WNBA recently suspended her for violating the league's Respect in the Workplace rules.

Nuggets eliminate Suns in 6

Sports Brief recently reported on the Suns’ loss to the Nuggets in Game 6 of their second-round series.

Nikola Jokic recorded a monster triple-double, finishing with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Conversely, Booker struggled in Game 6, scoring just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting in the playoff tie.