National Basketball Association

Phoenix Suns Continue Adding to Staff, Including Former All-Star Okur

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Phoenix Suns continue to add to the staff of Head Coach Earl Watson, who is heading into his first full season as the man in charge.

Watson has added two people to his staff, and one is a familiar name. Mehmet Okur and Jason Hervey both joined the staff according to a media release by the Phoenix Suns.

Okur will fill the role of player development coach, while Hervey will be an advance scout.

More from Valley of the Suns

Mehmet Okur played 10 seasons in the NBA, making one all-star game. As a big man with a shot, he will certainly be working closely with Alex Len.

Len is still not the shooter that Okur was – in Okur’s 10 NBA seasons, he shot .375% from three-point range.

One season, Okur shot .446% from three, good for 6th in the NBA that season. For a 6 foot 11 inch tall player, that is sharp shooting.

The addition of Okur may help Len, who has shown signs of developing his mid-range shot further and further away from the basket. This make be necessary for Len over the next three years as well, as the presence of Tyson Chandler crowds the paint.

Okur also holds the distinction of being the first native of Turkey to be named an NBA All-Star.

Hervey comes to the Phoenix Suns after two seasons working with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T’Wolves young roster likely reminds Hervey of the Suns and their young core. He was an NBA and college personnel scout with the Wolves.

Prior to that, Hervey spent two seasons with the Detroit Pistons as the Director of Basketball Operations.

As the Phoenix Suns continue to add to their basketball staff, they continue to surround their young core with a blend of experienced and young coaches and influences. What remains to be seen, is if it works.

This article originally appeared on