Phoenix Suns fans are right to be happy with the impact first-year head coach Jordan Ott has already made in The Valley. The team plays hard on both ends of the court every night, while his ability to get the best out of players like Mark Williams and Collin Gillespie is immense.
Coach Ott smartly leans on veterans to win games.
What has gone unnoticed so far about how coach Ott has kept the Suns undefeated in the Emirates NBA Cup game – and also in the play-off hunt at this early stage – is how he has quietly used veterans to win games they should win.
This is something that current Suns consultant Steve Clifford did, although it backfired on him when he was with the Orlando Magic. That franchise had to give blood to young people to become relevant again at the time, but Clifford refused to do this.
The Suns don’t have such a problem because they don’t have control over their own draft picks for the foreseeable future, so playing young guys and tanking isn’t on the agenda. Coach Ott has done a good job of being competitive from the start, which is why he uses the players he uses. For example, starting Gillespie is going to light a fire under him and the entire team and it worked.
Collin Gillespie on Jordan Ott says he deserved to start in Suns 112-100 win Wednesday at Kings: “I appreciate it. Everyone has confidence in each other. The staff has confidence in all 18 of us and I have a lot of confidence in myself to go out there and try to… pic.twitter.com/vIGOqU1tBE
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 27, 2025
During the Suns’ most recent win over the Sacramento Kings, two of the team’s three rookies from the summer in Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming received DNPs. The third in Koby Brea is not even on the roster and is on assignment in the G League.
Not having to implement these guys into a scheme on both ends of the court right out of college in an effort to win games has been huge for the Suns’ ability to be competitive, but it doesn’t stop there. The roster also features a pair of sophomores in Oso Ighodaro and Ryan Dunn.
It’s not exactly ideal that Dunn is currently out with a wrist sprain, and his style of play on defense is exactly what coach Ott has needed at times this season. Nevertheless, a veteran like Jordan Goodwin or Royce O’Neale is now filling Dunn’s minutes, and the team is winning.
Then there’s Ighodaro, so far the only younger man to whom coach Ott has tried to entrust more responsibility. He started the season in the middle, an experiment that lasted less than five games as Ighodaro was quickly sent back to the bench after some poor performances.
He played 15 minutes in that Kings game, compared to the 19 of a journeyman point guard in Jamareer Bouyea, who crucially has more experience than Ighodaro even though he plays a different position. By not playing against the kids then, coach Ott was able to chase and win some games.
The hard part will come next when it’s time to add some younger players to the rotation, and when that happens, we’ll see a different side to coach Ott’s style. But for now, just enjoy the fact that there is a head coach leading a largely experienced roster to more wins than anyone expected.
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