PHOENIX — With a roster transformation on deck later this month, the Phoenix Suns’ initial makeover is complete. Head coach Jordan Ott getting introduced on Tuesday offered a peek into the fundamental thought processes this new group will operate under.
Ott and general manager Brian Gregory will lead with their own beliefs, ones that obviously align into what owner Mat Ishbia wants the Suns to be about in this new era he will be much more involved in.
Phoenix’s head-coaching hire was always going to be someone that preaches old-school coaching principles, stressing the importance of the surface-level characteristics we hear from everyone in this position. Think of the way in which an individual is said to have “good values,” but in a coaching sense. It’s what you would expect for Ott and Gregory to echo together.
“We’re gonna demand that you work — that’s where it’s gonna start,” Ott said. “I want them to know and believe that I’m going to help them. … It’s tough to play in the NBA and I want them to know when they’re out there playing that we’re together.”
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With just about all of Gregory’s background coming from two decades of coaching at the collegiate level, he was always going to sync up with someone on that same page. Him saying Ott was the clear-cut choice throughout the process makes sense.
Ott harped on being process-oriented in a systematic way, where the three of them will go step by step through it to build Phoenix from the ground up, all while sharing the same thinking. The majority of his background comes in player development, another layup of a prediction for which way Gregory would lean, given that’s where his NBA experience comes from as well.
Hearing Gregory talk prior on the relationship part of basketball, Ott was all over that too.
“I think that is the most important piece to coaching. … Initially, everyone will be respectful of the position but it quickly turns to, ‘Can I help them?'” Ott said. “And once they know you can help them, that helps the relationship. That helps you coach them once that relationship is formed.”
What stands out from the good eggs in player development?
“The guys that have high character,” Ott said. “This is a competitive league and you have to trust that player is going to do exactly what they say, or it doesn’t work. So having high character is very important to me and to us. The other piece is having great professional habits. … Just over time, that work with the high character that you have tends to give you a chance.”
The challenge for Ott will be blending those long-time principles that typically sprout from the collegiate ranks to all of his new-school philosophies.
What came across the most is the amount of pride Ott takes in what he does. It’s difficult to describe the exact notion you get, but the real basketball junkies are the guys that champion a certain style. Building up a program, establishing buy-in through unselfishness and having that play out on the floor in a cohesive manner is what a lot of the sport comes down to. Many members of the 2020-21 Suns wore that pride on their sleeves.
Ott understands that. The way in which Cleveland was successful in his one and only year there is something he is proud of.
“The way the Cleveland Cavaliers played last year, that’s the way everyone wants to play,” Ott said.
When asked about his ideas on a style, he made sure to portray that thought and also that the initial bullet points are not something wholly unique.
“Everyone’s gonna say pace, right?” Ott said of offense. “Offensively, playing faster. I think a way to look at it is playing earlier in the clock. … How often can we get a good look early in the possession. We’re gonna move. The cutting piece is important. … We’re gonna find ways to get extra possessions.”
Defense was the usual, with aggression, communication and effort at the top. The schemes and such that are really in the weeds are where Ott will expand beyond the press release-style blurbs.
The offensive thoughts are where he will appeal to Devin Booker and already has, per reports following his hiring. Booker has spoken on a desire to play quicker the last few years, and the style Ott was preaching would be one he’s never had the ability to truly play with before.
“I think coaches, sometimes we overcomplicate things, so by simplifying, playing in more concepts and our principles of play, we want to get to action fast, we want to get a high-quality shot very fast early in the shot clock. … Can we have more opportunities if we get to action faster?” Ott said, with a lot of the simplifying sharing a sentiment to what Monty Williams would belabor on, the most successful coach of Booker.
Ott is clearly someone that takes preparation seriously. He was ready for the Michigan State question and others, joking afterward that he did have some familiarity with who would be asking the questions as well.
“I’ll say it like this: I’ve earned the right to be here,” Ott said of the Spartan connection. “I’ve spent 20 years of working as hard as I possibly can to be here in this spot. … I know I’ve earned this opportunity. I’m going to work as hard as I can from here on out to prove that I am here for the right reasons and that I’ve earned this opportunity. That excites me going forward.”
Ott’s branches scaling up his coaching tree embody a lot of that too. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo was about the relationships and relating, Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta was about the details, Kenny Atkinson in Brooklyn and Cleveland was creativity and tactics through player development, Darvin Ham’s time in Atlanta was toughness, while Steve Nash set a standard for humility.
It was easy to see on Tuesday that all the potential for Ott to be a great head coach is there. The hesitation, as it will be until the Suns’ ecosystem proves trustworthy enough, is if he will be given the opportunity to properly fulfill it. Whether it’s getting through to the players, existing beyond the shared thinking from the top dog to command their respect or having a suitable enough roster to achieve his stylistic beliefs, that remains to be seen.
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