The Phoenix Suns took a gamble by hiring head coach Jordan Ott for the first time this season, but it has already paid off big time for them. The team plays .500 basketball and has adopted the defensive identity he has tried to instill in this group. New recruits like center Mark Williams are thriving in the system coach Ott has set up.
You could argue that it was easier for owner Mat Ishbia to take a chance on Ott since the organization was in a rebuilding phase, but he also got the best out of Devin Booker. The 29-year-old is playing the best basketball of his career and appears to be enjoying playing under yet another head coach.
Suns finally have a long-term answer to the head coaching issue in Ott.
Another underrated aspect of hiring the 40-year-old is the fact that he could be the leading man in Phoenix for a long time to come. Remember, Booker had a different head coach on the sidelines each time in the three previous seasons. Monty Williams is replaced by Frank Vogel, who was himself ousted by Mike Budenholzer.
Now the Suns can plan for the future with a coach in Ott, who has already had a signature moment in The Valley. He was the first person to devise a defensive scheme that slowed down Victor Wembanyama as the Suns pulled off an upset victory over San Antonio Spurs, and in truth the French phenomenon hasn’t looked the same since.
This was accomplished without Dillon Brooks — the ideal type of player for Ott’s defensive system — while also (briefly) managing to coexist with Booker and Jalen Green. That came to an abrupt end due to a new hamstring injury for Green, but it was a brave decision to bring Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale alongside them that also paid off.
Coach Ott appears to sacrifice height at certain positions if he is confident that the players he chooses can execute his game plan. O’Neale was one of the key defenders at Wembanyama in the aforementioned match, despite not being known for his contributions in that area. But that was an important part of the successful strategy the team used.
It should also be noted that – despite Steve Nash coming in as a senior advisor – and with another former head coach in Steve Clifford also filling that role outside the team, there hasn’t been any drama. Coach Ott just wants to get on with things, and that approach will set him up for success in Phoenix for years to come. He finally solved their need for coaching stability.
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