Introductory news conference for new Suns GM Brian Gregory
The Phoenix Suns hold an introductory press conference for their new general manager, Brian Gregory.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia sought a “grimy” and “grinder” coach, and Ott fits that description.Ott has previously worked with the Lakers, Nets, and Hawks, and has a history of player development.
Phoenix Suns team owner Mat Ishbia knew the type of coach he wanted back in April.
A month later, Suns general manager Brian Gregory co-signed those qualifications.
The Suns wound up choosing Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their new head coach, sources informed The Arizona Republic on June 4. Ott has agreed to a multi-year deal.
Ott, 40, and fellow Cavs assistant Johnnie Bryant, 39, were finalists for a search that had more than 15 candidates interviewed. The Suns hope Ott can help turn around a franchise that has underachieved the last two seasons.
“Jordan Ott is a bright young mind who’s all about the grind,” said Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “… He was always going to be a head coach. The only question was when. The answer is now.”
The Cavs posted the NBA’s best record in the Eastern Conference at 64-18 with Ott and Bryant as assistants under Kenny Atkinson, the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year.
Ott was a finalist for the Charlotte Hornets head coaching position last year. The Hornets went with Charles Lee, who was previously an assistant with the Boston Celtics.
Scotto noted Ott worked “closely” with Cavs big Evan Mobley, the 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year who was named an NBA All-Star and All-NBA for the first time in his career.
Averaging 18.5 points on 55.7% shooting, 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his fourth NBA season out of USC, Mobley made All-NBA second team and earned NBA All-Defensive team for the second time in his career. He made All-Defensive second team in 2022-23 and first team in 2024-25.
Ott was also an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24) and Brooklyn Nets (2016-22). Scotto noted that Ott helped develop Joe Harris, who had his best NBA years with the Nets.
Harris averaged a career-high 11.6 points and shot 44% from 3 in his seven seasons (2016-23) with the Nets. Ott was there for six of those seasons. He led the NBA in 3-point shooting twice – 47.5% in 2020-21 and 47.4% in 2018-19 – and averaged a career-high 14.5 points in the 2019-20 season.
Ott started his NBA coaching career as a video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-16) under Mike Budenholzer, the man he’s replacing in Phoenix. This was after serving as a video coordinator for five seasons at Michigan State where he earned a master’s degree in athletic administration.
Ishbia and Gregory also have ties to Michigan State. Gregory served as an assistant on the 2000 men’s national championship team under Tom Izzo and Ishbia was a walk-on player for that squad.
Ott will be Phoenix’s fourth head coach in four seasons after the Suns fired Mike Budenholzer after one season. The Suns finished 36-46 to mark their first losing season since 2019-20, which was the last time they failed to make the playoffs.
Phoenix didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament this season under Budenholzer. Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Budenholzer have been let go in each of the last three seasons.
The Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round of the 2024 playoffs after winning 49 games under Vogel in the first season with the Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
Phoenix decided to run it back with its main core for the 2024-25 season with the thought that coaching was the problem. The Suns hired Budenholzer, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year who coached the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship in 2020-21. The Bucks defeated the Suns in six games of the 2021 finals.
The hire was viewed as a home run with Budenholzer returning to his home state to coach the Suns. Phoenix started 8-1, but the season went south and ended with the Suns losing nine of their last 10 games.
Days after firing Budenholzer, Ishbia not only said the Suns will get the next head coaching hire correct, but he provided a forecast for what type of coach he wanted to select.
“We’re going to look for someone that fits the vision of Phoenix Suns basketball organization,” Ishbia said back in April. “Someone who is going to live out exactly what I’m talking about. Someone who is a little bit grimy, a little bit grinder, a little bit tough. Have a little bit of that in them. I joke, but it’s true, I’m no talent, all heart. That’s my life. I will just outwork everyone. I’m going to have a coach, a front office, players, that the Phoenix community will love because it’s going to be that.”
Ishbia later elevated Gregory from vice president of player programming to general manager and shifted James Jones to senior advisor. James’ contract expires at the end of June.
Gregory then took center stage as his introductory press conference last month and endorsed Ishbia’s qualifications for the next Suns head coach, who assumes the job as speculation is running high the Suns will seek to trade Durant in the offseason.
“Unbelievable basketball IQ,” Gregory said in May during his introductory press conference of the coach they would seek. “Tremendous communicator. Share our vision and what we understand that needs to be successful in basketball in this new NBA. The toughness. The physicality. All those different things and has the ability to hold the players accountable to doing that. Playing and having a systematic approach offensively and defensively. Those attributes in addition to understanding this is what our identity and we’re going to coach to this on a daily basis.”
The Suns now have their new head coach.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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