Jordan Ott Media Availability | Phoenix Suns Training Camp Day 6

Jordan Ott Media Availability | Phoenix Suns Training Camp Day 6

take over. Yes, sir. I think I’ll I’ll start it off, y’all. It’s like I know you’re asking about Mark or Dwayne, you brought up about Friday in general. I think where we’re at with Mark. Okay, I’m appreciate it. Yeah, you know, like like we said, his camp started a long time ago. You know, since July 1st, he’s been in here more than anyone else developing his strength. I think he’s more than doubled his lower body strength in that time period. So, he does everything in practice that we asked except for the live five on five at this point. And it’s the same like we have a plan for him. We know his what his previous three years were. Um, so we have a plan for him going forward. Um, I don’t think anything will change before the China trip. So, when we get home from the China trip, we’ll keep evaluating him. He’s still doing as much as he can, just not the live five on five at this time. Just hearing you say that, does that is he going to play in the preseason camp? Yeah, I think that’s what we’re trying to do. Trying to assess exactly where he is. Um, you know, the goal is there at the end of end of camp to get him as ready as he can. So, he’s on a good path. Like I said, every drill work you’ve seen, you’re going to see him in. So, it’s just not the live five on five right now. So, he hasn’t done the scrimmage or anything like Yeah. No live five. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, it’s all part of the plan. Okay. Will you play Friday? No, not Friday. Yeah, not Friday. Um, usually in camp, you know, you have situations where guys have mixed cruises. Have you been able Have you had to send anyone out in camp besides Mark or is everyone else? Everyone else has been good. You know, it’s been a good camp. Again, like the China trip does throw something in this. You know, we’re we’re going over to China. We got to get two really good games there in China. Um, we’re going to have a plan for every single player going into this Friday and then then going forward knowing that we have four games, but that fourth game is tough. That fourth game two days after a 15hour trip is tough. So, um, yeah, we’re still having talks about that plan, but we’re in a good place. When you look at Friday’s game, what is the plan now in terms of a lot of bodies to try to assess? Do you have probably a set formula, set plan in terms of rotations and what you want to try to get out of game one? Yeah, absolutely. I think uh you know, especially those high minute guys like building them up probably a little quicker than than most most seasons. Um they’ve done a great job like we had a great August, great September, great camp to start. We’re in a good place to handle those those minutes as we go into Friday where we didn’t just start practice, you know, earlier this week. We we have a little extra time. So, we’re in a good place to, you know, play some minutes and play them hard and compete as long as we can. How much being a completely new system like how much will you kind of roll out in game one kind of like spoon feeding through the course? Anything that you want to kind of hold back, not to show the opponents? I think your your base is trying to be taught every day as we enter this camp. We’ll see where we need to teach some more when we play against another team. Um, based on how they play us, uh, and the guys we play together. Some of that’ll be brand new lineups going into Friday will be brand new. We’ve tried to stick first team versus second team a lot here in camp to get those reps. Um, but yeah, our concepts and our base on both sides of the ball are in, our foundation is laid, and then we’ll see when it comes to game reps what we need to work on more. We’re looking at Looking at Mark not playing Friday, how do you plan with the bigs as far as getting all three guys? And what do you see that as far as Friday go? Yeah, I think all three, you know, ready, they’ve showed that they’re ready to go, ready to play. They they’ve had enough of banging on each other uh here early in camp. So, you know, depending on how it all shakes out these next three games, you you’ll see all three of them. Coach Nigel just said that throughout training camp, you’ve been kind of letting the guys play through their mistakes, play for you out there. Just kind of how you’ve been breaking that up for the guys. Yeah, you know, it’s the game of basketball that I don’t think there’s a lot of gray in there. Um, we have concepts that we want to play with on both sides of the ball, but it also adjusts based on the skill set of that player. So, not every player is put in a box. We have to see exactly what their skill set is and how it fits. with the other players. So, part of letting them play is the conditioning piece. Like, we want to play fast. We got to get up and down. Um, the conditioning part early in this camp is is real. Um, and then again, get to the game and then know exactly what we have to teach after that. It’s been a a part of what how we’re playing these practices out. Um, again, ready ready for Friday to play to see exactly where we got to go from there. One of the things Nigel said here, he was saying that he liked the word support over help on defense. And he said that’s he said it may be simple. We may think it’s just one word, but that word is huge because help means someone did something wrong. Support means helping somebody out. I’m curious what makes you is that can you explain that? Because the average fan might be going, okay, what’s the difference? But I wanted to hear from your end on on using support over help as a word. of all people to probably bring it up. I probably could have guessed it. Nigel, that would stick with Nigel. The way he thinks, um, yeah, I think we talked about help is like throwing someone a life raft when they’re out there, they’re in the middle of the ocean, they yell, yell, “Help.” You know, you need something where here, we have your back. You don’t have to say anything. We have your back no matter what at all times on both ends. Um, no matter the time of the game, up 20, down 20, we’re here to support you on the court. And then also here’s our staff. We’re we’re we’re we’re around here to support August, September. Hopefully they’ve been able to feel that October, January, February, March, you know, whole way through. So, um, all of this, we’re all here to support our our guys. When you look at your front court defensively, specifically center, as far as job coverage goes, feels like you all of your bigs have played varying depths of it over the last few seasons. What do you kind of see as the kind of area of space pocket you want them to operate in in that? Great question. I think drop has different definitions. I think uh five or 10 years ago drop um defense was, you know, in the paint. The bigs were in the paint. I think you see that less and less of where the pick and roll defender is that far back just because of the skill set of offensive players um and bigs, you know, in general. So, that type of drop where you have their big in the paint. I don’t think I hope does not exist. Um, in our current current form, we want them up. We want them at that level all while dropping and staying below the roller. So, you can still do the same thing. It’s just your initial pickup point is more up the floor. So, we know the better rim protector you are, probably the more grace that we’ll have that he doesn’t get the whole way up. But, the the smaller, more active bigs that we have, we want them up. We want them aggressive. Um, it’s not good enough just to guard the action. We want to guard the action and take the ball from the other team. So, you can do that by adding more pressure at the level of the screen. How integral and if you are closer to the level or up the touch is it to have that skill of like a free safety backpedaling but also affecting the ball and also not losing leverage on the roll. Yeah, totally. I think uh the way the game is played right now, you have to know who’s handling who’s the screener even when you’re on defense. what’s the location of where the ball is? Um, you know, and how how big you are on the backside. Like at times, you know, this same pick and roll can be guarded different ways based on the speed of the ball handler, the skill of the ball handler, the skill of the screener. Um, playing all that into account is very important to play defense. And these fives as a fiveman in today’s league, you’re playing every action almost every single time down the floor, both sides. they’re so um valuable and critical to what you want to do on both ends that uh there’s a lot that goes in it that they really have to think and move and react and then we react behind them off the ball. So you you’ll see a different level of of where that guy is based on who the big is um involved in the pick and roll. Have you seen u other drop coverage bigs over your years maybe having finding those pockets to like jab at or stab at the ball while still backpedaling? Like it’s a very like fine skill, but a few guys have it. Yeah, that’s the idea. You’re up to present yourself knowing that you don’t want that screener to get behind you and also to stop the momentum at the pick and roll so your teammate gets back in front. So, yeah, there’s definitely bigs out there that that we we can definitely look at, but I think we have a couple of our own that that can do it, and we’re going to coach them to get up there. Coach them to get up there. Be aggressive. Um, we have your back. we have, you know, we we’ll support you if something happens if they do happen to get behind you. Coach guys in here. I’m just curious about having coach Hurley, obviously ASU guy. Maybe just talking with him. What’s what’s it been like having him here today? I think we’re lucky to be in Phoenix where, you know, you have multiple really good basketball programs in the area, college basketball programs in the area. I’ve known them from afar. We actually practiced there a couple times with different teams when we’re here in the area to get to their practice gym. It’s good location. Um, yeah, I mean the the coaching career that those guys have had, both Arizona and Arizona State. Um, yeah, it’s great that when they come in here to to create a relationship over time, you know, you see a lot of our scouts go up to them because they they know them from from over the years. So, um, just having those guys in our building, our players obviously see there’s an entire staff that was here today. So, very, uh, thankful and grateful that they come spend their time because I know they’re in season. They’re in season just like us. So those guys to come over and we’ll make sure we repay the favor at some point. Thanks. Thank you all. Appreciate it.

Jordan Ott speaks to the media following Day 6 of Phoenix Suns Training Camp on October 1st, 2025. Ott talks about establishing identity and learnings heading into the team’s first preseason game on Friday.

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