It was head coach Monty Williams on Tuesday.
Now Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder and JaVale McGee have cleared the NBA COVID health and safety protocols, but the three Suns players will miss Thursday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers (19-19) for “return to competition reconditioning.”
Williams cleared protocols and coached in Tuesday’s 123-110 win in New Orleans after missing four games under protocols.
Lead assistant Kevin Young was acting head coach in place of Williams.
Landry Shamet and Abdel Nader (knee) remain in protocols. Shamet went in Tuesday morning. Nader also has missed the last 22 games for the Suns (29-8) for right knee injury management.
Crowder and Ayton have missed five games while McGee has been out three.
Eflrid Payton also was in protocols, but only missed one game last week against Oklahoma City. He and Crowder were the first two to enter protocols Dec. 26.
The Suns went 3-2 since then.
Ayton had missed two games earlier this season for a non-COVID illness.
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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