Suns add Mehmet Okur and Jason Hervey to their staff
Sep 13, 2016, 10:52 AM
Phoenix Suns' Robin Lopez (15) scores over Utah Jazz's Mehmet Okur, of Turkey, in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 4, 2010, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(15)
The Phoenix Suns have added former 10-year veteran Mehmet Okur and former director of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons Jason Hervey to their staff, the Suns announced on Monday.
Okur will be a player development coach, where he will be working with the Suns big men. The former 6-foot-11 center brings 10 years of NBA playing experience to the Suns. Two of the guys he’ll no doubt be working with are the two young first-rounders, 19-year-old Marquese Chriss and 18-year-old Dragan Bender.
During his time in the NBA, Okur averaged 13.5 points and seven rebounds a game. He was also a teammate of Suns head coach Earl Watson in the 2010-11 season with the Utah Jazz. Since retiring from the league in 2012, Okur has served as a team ambassador for the Jazz.
Hervey, who was also a personnel scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves the last two years, will be an advance scout for the Suns. His job as an advance scout is to dissect the opposition and relay what he sees back to the Suns.
