Jordan Ott details what it is like to coach Dillon Brooks on Suns
Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott explains how much and why he likes having Dillon Brooks on his team.
Diannie Chavez and Diana Payan/The Republic
Jordan Ott is beginning his first NBA training camp as the head coach for the Phoenix Suns.Ott, a long-time assistant, plans to establish a competitive and unselfish style of play.
Jordan Ott has started his share of NBA training camps, but never as a head coach.
Until Thursday, Sept. 25.
“It always goes back to what I’ve done,” Ott said. “The hardest part is not being involved in the drills because you delegate some of the drills and then that hour before when everyone is on the court, the individual workouts, that hour was a long hour, but once we got going, it was great.”
The long-time assistant is now a first-year head coach with the Phoenix Suns, who looked to establish a tone for training camp on Day 1 at the team’s practice facility on Sept. 25.
“Communication, develop and have a base where we’re growing,” Suns forward Dillon Brooks said after Day 1. “Being unselfish.”
Ott worked 12 years in the NBA before replacing Mike Budenholzer as Phoenix’s head coach. He started as a video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks and served as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and, most recently, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After one season in Cleveland, Ott is now running the show in Phoenix. After weeks of preparation for camp, Ott looked to establish the style of play on Sept. 25.
“We do believe our competitive advantage is our style of play,” Ott said. “We hit that right off the bat and then just the overall competitiveness of the group as we got through the practice and through the details of teaching some of the drills in our base offense and defense, then we got to playing and it got pretty competitive pretty quick.”
The Suns are looking to play pressure defense and share the ball on offense, which will feature movement and cutting.
“Definitely think that’s where we’re leaning. We’re going to try to do it. Always have to adjust to your personnel. It will be a more aggressive defense, that’s what we are installing.”
Suns coach Jordan Ott on full pressure defense.
“We’re going to see in the preseason… pic.twitter.com/FWGhjsC6oJ
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) September 25, 2025
That officially began on the first day of training camp.
“Just establishing our identity,” Suns forward Ryan Dunn said. “Just trying to be tougher, trying to throw the first punch, be physical. Like I said, it’s Day 1. Got to keep doing that the whole season, not only for Day 1, but I think that’s where we’re trying to get to with this team. We’re going to go through highs and lows with that. Just staying together, being one.”
Ott knows it’ll take some tweaking throughout camp and preseason to figure out what that looks like with this team.
“The reality is the defense changes with who you have on the floor against who you’re playing. Same with the offense, but ideally, it’s a pressure defense,” he said.
When asked if this process will test his patience, Ott said, “My patience gets more tested at home. I’ve got a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. Coaching basketball, that’s what we signed up to do. We’re going to help them every time they’re around us. We’re going to help be a part of the solution that we’re going to find. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. It’s whatever it takes to get the job done.”
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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