Head Coach Jordan Ott Postgame Media Availability | Phoenix Suns | 11-16-25

Head Coach Jordan Ott Postgame Media Availability | Phoenix Suns | 11-16-25

Hey coach, I know you’ve talked about before just games being a learning experience, a lesson game. What do you think that the team took from tonight’s matchup? Um, yeah, that that’s part of what I just said in there was just um, you know, great third quarter, fourth quarter wasn’t. Um, these games are so emotional. Uh, I think some of this is great lessons learned, but you do have to look at the film of what exactly went down, what what exactly happened. Um, there’s so much that goes on in game. Um, obviously some of it comes down to the shot making, the 47 points in in the fourth. Anyone can look at that and know that’s probably not a recipe for success any night. Coach, after the Reese Shay three, you you called a quick timeout. I’m guessing that was due to like defensive focus or just like the connectivity on either. And did you see a response from the team in that category after the timeout? I just thought overall in the fourth we lost our way at different points. Um you know I think we turned it over a couple times of course um you know they were able to get shots around the rim. I think even Daniels a couple times around the rim. Um, yeah, at that point you just got to regain your composure and execute a little bit offensively and just get one stop. Get one stop and then the snowball goes the other way. I thought we had the momentum obviously in the third quarter and it really felt that way um really the entire third especially there at the end and um yeah, we just lost our way. And then you had that that sub in when you brought in Royce for Mark Run Spain and get the switch. Did you did you like the look overall? cuz like Book kind of drifted towards the basket a bit, no pass, and then Colin had to go from there. Yeah, more of that sub was just for the defensive purposes. We wanted to switch everything defensively and then obviously have the spacing offensively, but um yeah, we’re trying to mix and match there a little bit, learn on the fly. We got to, you know, without Grayson that that that changes a little bit, but um yeah, that’s not an excuse. You you still got to get enough stops and execute offensively to get a good look. Coach, you you talked about getting away from the silly fouls like know recent games. How how much did that play in that fourth where you give up a four-point play on a free on a foul and just maybe that that decision making led to what happened tonight? Yeah, I mean, you know, it’s such a physical game both sides. You know, they’re they’re so athletic, so aggressive um in the half court. You know, they’re not a fullcourt pressure team as much, but in the half court they have guys that can really get into the basketball. Um, and then they that’s what they do. They put them they’re in a lot of closeouts. That means they’re in a lot of help. Uh, yeah, we just got to take out the the silly ones. You’re competing at such a high level. Um, you know, it’s hard. It’s hard, but we just can’t go over that edge, get over that limit. And yeah, it was just a combination. It wasn’t just one foul or one silly silly play. I think there was multiple there. And that’s that’s what we had to do. Take a look. And obviously when you just mentioned it, just wanted to just ask a follow up with what Kell was saying. you know, you’re trying to figure out a lineup, okay? Like, you know, you’re you had Gillespie and they had it going in the third, but then you know, you going to have to end up putting Deon back. And how were you how were you weighing the momentum of things going well, but knowing once they started making a run, you had to make some adjustment with the lineup. Yeah, this is uh this is what it’s like every night in the NBA. There’s 82 of these. You never know how it’s going to go. Colum was cramping. He was cramping to start the fourth. We I we saw at the end of the third. That’s why we took Book out actually a little bit early in the third and Dylan had it going. So Dylan played the whole third and then Colin ended up cramping early in the fourth. So that’s why we had to come back with with with Book and of course he played nine minutes or whatever in that fourth. So um that’s what that’s what’s going to have to happen. We got to we’re going to have to find new u new parts of our rotation because these games don’t stop. We play in two days and even though we had two days in between, our guys were feeling it yesterday after the three and four. So, it’s going to take every every person. Um, the other team doesn’t care what your schedule is like, how hard it was. Um, you know, some of these guys are playing high minutes game after game after game. That’s the NBA and we got to find a way to to to find a new spark spark from anywhere. You know, each game it’s it’s new. So, I thought Goody gave us great minutes. I thought our bench overall was good um at times and we just didn’t have enough in the fourth. Coach, um Dylan obviously had the great game, but you know, him getting into it with the crowd, sort of energizing them, but he picks up that technical in the fourth. Um how do you sort of balance, you know, him being himself, letting those emotions out, but sort of preventing him from going over the edge and committing, you know, technical fouls like that? Yeah. I mean, that’s part of Dylan Brooks. That’s why we love him. Um, his energy, especially here at home, um, every single night he laces him up. His extreme competitive level, uh, we feel it. The whole building obviously feels it on nights like tonight. Um, this isn’t his first year. Like, he knows exactly what he’s doing. Um, you know, at times we rally. We We need that energy. So, um, we’ll continue to it’s new for all of us around around DB, but we know that energy and that competitive spirit that he has is one of a kind. Your decision on the challenge near the end when you knew you could, you know, waste your last time out. Yeah, we thought it was close and I think we had possession afterwards. So, we thought it was close. Um, you know, we have a process for it all. We thought we may have got it clean. Obviously, he didn’t. And then we had the possession afterwards. So it was a risk that we were willing to take at that time. Also the uh you said keep saying you lost your way. That part of it was that 190 run that those guys made. You were up by 20. There was a question in there. There’s a statement. Oh, I got you. I got you. Answer. What was the question? The the question was the 19 point. what happened during the 19-point run. Where did you guys go? It’s probably it’s probably both. You know, Barry’s probably both sides of the ball. It’s a little bit of everything. Um but yeah, we couldn’t we couldn’t we were falling and we couldn’t couldn’t help ourselves. So, I think that’s where it’s um important that we look at it. You know, we’re going to look at tomorrow because this thing doesn’t stop. We got to go to Portland team that’s playing at a high level, super aggressive, similar to this team that plays fast. Um, so yeah, we’ll have to figure that figure that out in the next 48 hours. Stephen, last one. Jordan, uh, of course you want to see a better result in the fourth quarter, especially after the good work that you did in the third, but positive takeaway wise, uh, just some of the adjustments in the third with the cross matching and things like that. How are you seeing your group’s ability to respond in those moments and create those sparks like you spoke to? Um, and just their response in terms of execution for you. Yeah, these got offensively these guys are a little unique. They put their five on the perimeter a ton. Um, and they’re a downhill driving team. So, I think we were in more switches tonight even with our five. Um, but yeah, we’ll have to continue to take a look at I think Mark can do it and Mark did do it. Um, and then Nick Nick has shown the ability to do the same. So, defensively in the third we were great. In the fourth we weren’t. So, um, you know, we have to take a look exactly why that is and what we can fix. Good.

Head Coach Jordan Ott speaks to the media following the Phoenix Suns game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 16th, 2025.

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