Phoenix Suns Postgame Media Availability: Head Coach Jordan Ott | 10-14-25 vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Phoenix Suns Postgame Media Availability: Head Coach Jordan Ott | 10-14-25 vs. Los Angeles Lakers

the most talked about it, you know, before the game even in here. It’s just you never know how the season’s going to go. Um, you know, I’ve had before games be cancelled, rescheduled, go across the country on a backto-back. You never know. So, just our group is not going to make an excuse. Just go out and compete and see what happens. Um, I think it was both parts. Like the guys that were in uniform and the guys that weren’t in uniforms showed, um, we do have this thing coming together as as one and um, you know, the joy and the spirit of competing. It doesn’t matter where it is. That’s what we got to find. Um, we did that tonight. Milo, you said he was going to be put in situations and it was going to be a learning curve. just the overall not only did he defend eight well he worked off pick and roll got some easy ones hit a three just your overall evaluation of his play great response you know I don’t think he was happy with his performance that last game in in China and just you know he was in there yesterday ready to go again and um again it’s the the character and the spirit of him specifically that I’m not sure he has a bad day uh he may have a bad moment but he’s not going to have a bad day and he came out and he showed some things today. So now he set a new standard. He set a new new bar for him that we can hold him to. Last thing last thing I had, coach, was just Jared. He’s going to make it tough for you to make a call with him the way he’s been playing, the way he played tonight. What stood out for for you as far as him and then moving the roster forward, you know, you got to get down to 15 and him being on the exhibit? You know, I think we’ve all seen JB from afar see him do something like that. you know, you don’t win a national championship in college not to be an ultimate competitor. Again, I think that’s a as a competitor, he didn’t feel he was great that first night in China. And you know, we saw a response that second game in China and then today in the fourth quarter, we knew who was taking the shots. Um, he had it going, really bailed us out at multiple points, especially there in the fourth quarter when you need a shot maker. He definitely helped us and he had nine assists and and no turnovers. So overall, great great game play played by by JB tonight. Coach, just overall, what does an opportunity like this do for the younger guys getting extended run and being in those big moments? Great experience. You know, they’ve some of those guys have been working all summer um that we’ve added to our roster. Some of those guys have been working all summer from summer league. We talked about again pregame is just like finding the excitement from the crowd to be here um out in front enjoy the moment, you know, specifically Nigel who’s had a long path to get back to the NBA. And even Isaiah Livers, you know, he was out for 18, 19, 20 months. And to see him go out there and play the game that he’s always grown up doing, um you know, that’s that’s fun. And that’s fun for our group. you know, if you could see him right now in the postgame locker room, like just his appreciation for his journey back um to now being in the game playing meaningful minutes um being out there helping a team win. Coach, with that process you talked about, how gratifying is that for you to see like, okay, you weren’t satisfied. You were like some correctable things and for him to immediately turn it around like that, it’s gratifying for him, I’m sure, you know, for him to bounce back and know that he can do it. And this is the game of basketball. It’s not your progress is not always linear. you know, you’re going to have some bumps along the way. He had a dip, a short dip, and then his next opportunity that he had, he he did everything he could do to put himself in the position to succeed. And he’s going to have another dip. And u you know, we we want to provide this environment, us as staff members, and his teammates that when that dip happens to come back in and work. And yesterday, he worked. Today, this morning, he worked. And today, tonight, you know, he saw some success because of his work. I’m sure there’s some points of emphasis with like positioning and stuff, but to have the recovery skills that he does, we saw it a ton tonight. What does that do for a team defense when you have someone that came in conceiving just get anywhere? I feel like he’s done it every time he’s had extended run. You know, that first game against the Lakers, he had a it was like a lob in front of our bench in the second half to be able to recover there. the big block in China and then again tonight in the fourth quarter that he’s he shows flashes of of that elite athleticism. It’s our job and our responsibility just to get it more consistent and you know at times he doesn’t know where to go what to do. He just needs to act like just act everything else will figure we’ll figure it out. If he overworks, that’s okay. And you can really tell he’s trying to do the right thing and think at times, but at some points like those recovery stuff, that’s instincts. And we just got to need to we have to keep encouraging to bring that out. But very rarely in a loud arena do you hear like the guys calling out coverages and stuff being allowed obviously. Um but with Kaman, you can hear that. Like just how important is that for a rookie uh just coming to the NBA to to have that already? I think the game has changed even a little bit. You know, offensively they’re involved in every action. It feels like the fiveman every possession down and and defensively the same because it’s such a pick and roll heavy game, especially a team like this. And uh his voice is a skill and his ability to not only know what we’re in, but have the ability and confidence to then call it out for us, for our teammates, for his teammates. That’s encouraging. That that’s something that we’re going to continue to try to bring out. Um, you know that again that’s that’s his spirit. That’s who he is. That’s not going to change. He brings that every day. Um, he’ll be in a good place. We talked about a couple weeks ago now like presentation standpoint. What’s kind of your assessment defending space against all world? Probably going to look at it and and think he needs to be up even more. You know, I think it’s easy to be in a in a deeper drop. Um, you know, at times it does make some sense in something like tonight where he’s below the role. We don’t have to that role doesn’t put a ton of pressure on our weak side. Um, but yeah, he’s going to need to do both and we know that’s his comfort level. At times he’s going to need to do both. He’s going to play one night where it’s a shooting five like kind of like we saw in Brooklyn with with the wolf rookie. Um, he’s going to need to do it all. Um, he’s definitely more comfortable in a drop, pick and roll. Again, there’s going to be times we want him more up just to to present a little higher so Luca doesn’t get you on your back, so he doesn’t cut back. So that tonight overall he he helped us at the rim and especially in pick and roll. Thanks. Good. Thanks coach. Thank you all.

Head Coach Jordan Ott speaks to the media following the Phoenix Suns preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 18th, 2025.

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