As a consultant! Nash returns to the Suns and is expected to be a coach again in the future?

Steve Nash, it's time to play for the Sun again.

Recently, Suns owner Matt Ishbiya announced on social media that team legend Steve Nash will officially join the Suns as a senior adviser to the team.

Ishbiya wrote: "Steve Nash was an amazing player, and he is the essence of the Suns. His courage, resilience and competitive spirit have defined our team in the past. I am very happy to announce that Nash officially joined the Suns as a senior consultant and will help us plan the future in the next few years."

It has been more than a decade since Nash last played in the NBA, but many fans must remember that he was the 15th pick in the 1996 Golden Generation. His career began with the Suns, but he was sent to the Mavericks after only two seasons.

From 1998 to 2004, Nash played for the Mavericks for a total of six years. During this period, he was selected for the All-Star twice and the All-Squad three-team. In 2003, he also helped the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals and established a deep friendship with Nowitzki. In the offseason in 2004, Nash became a free agent. Because he was worried about his age injury risks (Nash is already 30 years old) and defensive shortcomings, the Mavericks were only willing to provide a four-year, 40 million yuan or a five-year, 45 million yuan renewal, but Nash's old club, the Suns, gave a five-year, 75 million yuan.

After repeated measurements, Nash decided to return to the Suns, and this decision also became a turning point in his career - later Cuban publicly stated many times that letting Nash go in 2004 was the most wrong thing he had ever done. In his first season of joining the Suns, Nash led the Suns, who had only won 29 games the previous year and achieved a record of 62 wins and 20 losses in the Western Conference. Nash averaged 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 11.5 assists per game, and his three shooting percentage was 50.2%/43.1%/88.7%. Not only was he selected for the All-Star and the All-Squad team, he also beat O'Neal and others to be elected as MVP.

In the subsequent 2005-06 season, the team's other core, Stoudemire, played only 3 games due to injury, and Nash still led the team to 54 wins and 28 losses. This year, he averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 51.2%/43.9%/92.1% in three events, beating Kobe, James and others for the MVP again.

If Nash was only at the All-Star level during the Mavericks, then after returning to the Suns, Nash will directly sublimate to the ranks of the league's first-tier stars. He is not only an MVP, but also the Sun's totem.

In eight years, Nash won 2 MVPs, 3 Best First Team, 2 Best Second Team, 5 Assist King, 6 All-Stars, and led the team to the Western Conference Finals three times (2005, 2006, 2010). Unfortunately, he never touched the floor of the finals.

Until the 2011-12 season, Nash's last year with the Suns, he still averaged 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, and his efficiency remained at a very high level. His three shooting percentages were 53.2%/39.0%/89.4%, almost making his fifth "180 Club" in his career.

After 2012, the Suns completely entered the reconstruction period, and Nash was already 38 years old, so Nash joined the Lakers. Of course, we all know what happened later. Nash was not successful in two years with the Lakers, and he did not fulfill his dream of winning the championship until he retired.

It should be noted that in the last season of the Suns, fans had already expected him to leave for the championship, but not only did the Suns fans not object or abuse, they also told Nash on the sidelines that "It 's OK, NASH, you can go" (it's okay, Nash, you can leave).

Nash's Sun career, although he did not win the championship or even led the team to play in the finals, was undoubtedly successful. When talking about the Sun in those years, it was Nash, and when talking about the Nash in those years, he and the running and fighting the Sun were not only classic, but also the youth of many people.

Welcoming Nash back is of great significance to the sun. For Nash himself, this may be an opportunity. He may be expected to pick up the coaching post again in the future (not necessarily in the sun).

This is not impossible. You should know that after retiring, Nash served as a team consultant for the Warriors for five years. During this period, he helped the Warriors win championships many times. In 2017, Nash secretly kissed Durant's FMVP trophy in the locker room touched many people. After the Warriors' advisory career ended, Nash served as head coach for two years at the Nets and helped the Nets to make the playoffs twice, one in the second round and the other in the first round.

Nash's coaching level, objectively speaking, is still a certain distance from his performance during his player years. However, too many things happened to the Nets in those two years, including many injuries and off-court factors. I personally think that the impact on Nash's coaching has been significant.

Judging from Durant and Bill before, Suns boss Ishbiya is a person who likes to make gimmicks. There may be this factor when signing Nash this time, but it is undeniable that Nash has indeed succeeded as a player in the Suns and as an adviser in the Warriors. I hope his joining can bring some differences to the Suns.