Heading into the second-round series between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns on Monday night, there is no shortage of fun storylines to look forward to.
When just looking at the here-and-now and not overall careers, Luka Doncic is the best player in the series, which gives the Mavs some hope of pulling off an upset. However, the Suns were the best overall team in the league this year, winning 64 games. The Mavs also haven't been able to beat the Suns since before COVID-19 was a thing in the U.S... although Phoenix hasn't played Dallas since it traded Kristaps Porzingis for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans in February.
In the 2018 draft, the Suns passed on Doncic with the No. 1 overall pick to draft big man DeAndre Ayton instead. Although Phoenix has experienced a lot of success with Ayton as its third-best player (the Suns are the defending Western Conference champs), one has to wonder where they'd be right now if they'd selected Doncic instead.
One man who thinks the Suns made a mistake by passing on Doncic is Mavs assistant coach Igor Kokoskov, who coached Luka Doncic on the Slovenian national team that won a EuroBasket gold medal in 2017. Shortly after that, he was hired to coach the Suns in the 2018-19 season, but was then fired after the team won just 19 games. Kokoskov then went back overseas to coach in Turkey until landing his current gig with Dallas last summer.
"I wouldn't be sitting here with you today (if Phoenix had drafted Doncic)," Kokoskov told overseas media in 2020. "There is a frightening momentum of development. Last year he was one of the most talented players in the world but today he is among the few selected best basketball players in the world. It should not be forgotten that he is only 21 years old and he will be playing for 17-18 years with the prolongation of professional athletes’ careers."
As good as coach Jason Kidd has been for Dallas this season, the additions of Kokoskov and the other coaching staff members have been just as important. Not only is Kokoskov a brilliant offensive mind, but he knows Doncic well and serves as a mentor to him in a somewhat similar way that Holger Geschwindner did to Dirk Nowitzki... perhaps without all the unorthodox workout regimens in a small German gym.
“I believe that if (Doncic) stays healthy, there is no chance he won’t get a ring,’’ said Kokoskov. “I can’t see a force around that can stop it.’’
Those words will be put to the test as the underdog Mavs begin their second-round series vs. the Suns. Not only will Kokoskov be looking for validation of his high praise of Doncic, but also with how he orchestrates an offense.
Out of the many storylines this series will produce, Kokoskov vs. his former team that fired him after just one season is an interesting one to keep tabs on.
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