Former NBA guard Lindsey Hunter has been hired by the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach. He will focus on player development for the young Suns, according to AZCentral.com.

Hunter spent last season as a college scout. He played 17 years in the NBA, primarily with the Detroit Pistons. His only previous coaching experience was as an assistant to his son's high school team, but as the Golden State Warriors showed in hiring Mark Jackson, experience leading a team as a point guard is a valuable coaching commodity in the NBA.

Suns' General Manager Lance Blanks says the the focus is to have younger coaches who are more accessible to players.

"This is really important to me," Blanks said. "It's not something that was needed. What the organization was doing worked. It won at a very high level. Different personnel and situation. This will create a lot of continuity between front office, coaches and training staff."

With a team full of young, developing players like Goran Dragic and Michael Beasley, it appears the Suns are willing to try new techniques to get the team moving in the right direction.

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