Kevin Young will stay with the Suns as the league’s highest-paid assistant after signing a new deal.
Kevin Young is an American basketball coach who currently serves as an associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He attended Sprayberry High School, where he played basketball under coach Roger Kvam.
After high school, he played at the Middle Georgia College for 2 years before committing to Clayton State University.
In 2006, he took his first job as a head coach for the Shamrock Rovers Hoops of Ireland’s Super League.
Eventually, he started working with the NBA G League teams, including Utah Flash, Iowa Energy, and Delaware 87ers.
Similarly, the Philadelphia 76ers promoted Young to the role of assistant coach on August 4, 2016.
He has been associated with his current team since 2020, but initially, he started as an assistant and now is an associate head coach.
Kevin Young Highest Paid Assistant In the NBA
Since the departure of the Suns’ head coach Monty Williams, who is now the highest paid coach in the NBA, the Phoenix franchise has been in the process of reconstructing their coaching structure.
They were down to three final options after Nick Nurse’s joined the Philadelphia 76ers. Frank Vogel became their final choice over Doc Rivers, who reportedly pulled out late, and Kevin Young.
The Suns hired Frank Vogel, known for defensive tactics, after less than a month of Williams’ departure.
Vogel’s hire can build a strong defense in the team as he had previously coached the #1 defense in the league three times.
But when it comes to the offensive strategy, Vogel isn’t the perfect guy. This may be the reason for the Suns to keep Kevin Young on staff to ensure the offensive side of the ball.
While retaining Young, they offered him one of the lustrous offers one can get, making him the highest-paid assistant in the NBA, per ESPN.
This new deal reportedly allows Young to earn more than $2 million annually.
What Went Wrong With The Phoenix Team?
The Suns were eliminated from the playoffs with a humiliating 25-point loss at home.
Following their semifinals exit, Phoenix parted ways with Monty Williams after working together for four seasons.
It was evident that the Suns were not going to win the title this season as their bench was adequate.
Many of their key players were experiencing some health issues. And with their new addition, Kevin Durant, in the team, they did not have enough time to build the chemistry.
Their former head coach, Monty, tried different tactics, and his rotation changed from game to game.
Despite endless efforts from the coaches and the players, the Suns were crushed by the Nuggets in Game 6 of the semifinals.
