Jordan Ott Media Availability | Phoenix Suns Training Camp Day &

Jordan Ott Media Availability | Phoenix Suns Training Camp Day &

He’s already there. He’s already out there. So, with him not here, I got to do the housekeeping. Uh, outside of Mark tomorrow, is everyone good to go? Yeah. I think there’s a little update on Jaylen. Jaylen does have a lowgrade hamstring strain. Um, that he won’t play obviously tomorrow. He’ll be with us in China. He’ll do what he can to see where we’re at the end of the preseason, but we we know the the goal is that that 22nd. So, um, he was he does have that diagnosed yesterday. And you guys are confident that he’ll be ready for the season over. Yeah, I mean I think those are always a little little tricky. So seems to have good strength and the strength is improving already. So in a good place and we’ll just continue to monitor. With a situation like that and the injury that he’s dealing with and how delicately you guys are approaching it with Mark as well. Does this travel make it like weirder? Like I’m sure if you guys were state side for all four of these games, it would be easier to like play Mark. Does that make sense? Is is there logic to that or Yeah, I think the biggest one is the the travel back and then play. You know, that’s the biggest one. Um we have some days on this front end to get um acclimated to when we are in China. I think the biggest one is when we come back and then play within 48 hours. So that’s the one that that is tricky. Um I think every injury is a little bit different. Um so yeah, we we’ll evaluate throughout the trip and then post and we do have a big gap in time from that fourth game to to the opening game on the 22nd. What was your training camp checklist before the preseason opener in terms of like the biggest bullet points you wanted to hit in a week? I think it started a while ago. Sure. You know, I think the conditioning piece so they’re they’re physically ready um to withstand what what comes in a game. This game is not easy to play physically and then just to prep the group that we’re this is baseline. Like we have a lot of stuff to put in. We want to continue to build this thing out, layer it. Um, and I do think we have a good foundation, but now it’s time to prove it against someone else. Like, play Suns on Suns. They know your actions. They know your terminology. So, be good to play another team. Um, and I’m sure they’ll present their own challenges of what they’re doing offensively for our defense. With Jaylen, when did the injury happen? This week. Yeah, it was this week. And then, um, yeah, just continue to try to test it and then got their diagnosis yesterday. Having watched these guys in practice, how much of a curiosity factor is there for you still to see what it looks like against the Yeah, giant. I think uh that’s the best part of this for all of us. It’s not just coaches or staff or management. It’s for the players. Um they want to go out there. They’ve worked all summer to put themselves in a better spot than they were when last season ended. So, I think it’s everyone that the the anxiousness of going out and playing. felt that today, you know, waking up like, okay, I wish we could fast forward to tomorrow and have it be game day. So, we’re excited that we get to play early in this preseason. That that’s that’s good. Um, and then again, see exactly where we stand against another team. Do you prepare a uh first preseason game head coach speech? No, I think my role in this is is not like that. You know, we’re the joy of playing basketball is real. So, now you get to go out and play against someone else. They they they’re basketball players. So, um practices, as much as we want to try to create the best environment possible, there’s nothing like stepping in there in the arena out in front of everyone against another opponent. What are you looking forward to in your first opportunity to be the head coach on the sidelines? Oh my. I think um you know, I think it’s just another day in the process. I think we’re we know we’ve done well here this first week. And then just evaluating, you’re evaluating everything. Um from how your group reacts to the first point of adversity, um how your staff communicates as us like in the huddles, in the locker room, in the postgame locker room, what we do the next day. I think all those processes are good to go through as a new group um players and staff. So, I think some of those things I look forward to working out the kinks to then be ready to go at the end of October. You enjoy the hands-on coaching still because you’re still at the heart of a developmental coach in on the fields themselves. Yeah, I I think it’s a shift a little. You know, you’re you’re used to sweating and and being out there with the group and now you’re kind of removed at times. you know, I’d love to dive in there even more, but I understand that um some of the coaches are looking for some of my answers, too. So, I enjoy both of it. I enjoy watching our guys coach, our staff coach. I think we have a bunch of great teachers, which I’m very proud of. And then, um you know, I definitely love to continue to hop in there, but I know know some of those days are well past me, so I got to be careful and and not let anything happen. What are you looking forward to from your team as far as um either game plan or just expectationwise from that first foundational preseason game? It’s always the big rocks is always the big rocks like us as a team, how we operate when adversity hits, how we’re able to stop the other team’s runs, how we’re able to communicate with each other in times of adversity. Um and how we play, how hard we play. I think the compete level has been super high here these first couple days. I don’t expect anything less tomorrow when we go play someone else. When you look at your Cavaliers team last year, I think one of the teams that one of the things that stands out about that team is the pull up three-point percentage. Was that something you wanted to lean into as far as the offensive approach goes or was that more kind of personnel based and that being the strong suit of some of those guys? Both. I think um we had the roster had guys that could make that shot and I think that’s a solution against some pick and roll defenses and you can see the trend in the NBA. There’s more threes around the league, but off the dribble threes are up higher than even catch and shoot. So more guys have the ability to shoot that shot. We have guys on this roster that definitely can shoot that shot. Um, now it’s finding ways to implement that into our system and what that means for the screener against what coverages for a ball handler to then be look out looking out for those those type of opportunities. With Mark, how much did it help you guys to have his open-mindedness with the approach that you guys were looking for? I’m sure that he would love to be scrimmaging and and playing tomorrow, but uh he seems very motivated and and knows like that a different course of action is is what’s going to be needed. He’s 23 years old, right? So he understands uh this is a career. It’s not a today, it’s not a tomorrow type of plan and I I think he feels our intention with that. Um and then his participation’s been unbelievable. So he comes with a joy every day even though he is at times wants to do more and that’s what we love about him and we know when he when he’s ready to rock we’ll we’ll be happy he’s out there. I know that you guys uh just won a hoop, probably don’t care where it is or what anything is named, but do you have a reaction to seeing that the the home arena now has a name? It’s no surprise for all of us, right, that that Matt’s done it again. You know, I think just his commitment to to the uh organization here and to the community of Phoenix. Um he’s willing to do everything possible to put us in the best position. And this is just another level that he that he’s done and another thing that he’s done for this this place. So very unique that our owner is that supportive. We’re we’re really really grateful. With Jaylen out, I’m curious on the approach with um because obviously you would love to see like him and Book together and and get to know that dynamic a little bit more, but as a coach, do you see it as like okay, this is how the minutes could look when Jaylen’s out and and Book is in or just where you’re kind of trying to get the data that you can right now with that? We’re always I think evaluating what’s going on, but we we do know this is day one. This is game one. Um, we’re still learning how it all looks. Some of these combinations probably haven’t played even practice reps together. So, we got a long way to go. There’s a lot more days thankfully before that opening night. Um, it’ll be a data point, but it won’t be the the biggest data point. Thanks. Thanks, coach. Thank you. Appreciate it. The

Head Coach Jordan Ott speaks to the media following Day 7 of Phoenix Suns Training Camp on October 2nd, 2025.

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