Payne Moses<\/a>\/Cronkite News)<\/p>\nPHOENIX \u2013 Before DeMarre Carroll was popularly known as \u201cJunkyard Dog\u201d for his fearless approach to guarding the NBA\u2019s best, he was just another unproven player clawing for a roster spot in the Summer League. Now, as a Suns assistant and the head coach of the team\u2019s 2025 Summer League squad, Carroll returns to where his journey began \u2014 only this time, he\u2019s the one leading the charge.<\/p>\n
Carroll\u2019s own path \u2013 from late first-round pick to journeyman to respected NBA role player \u2013 mirrors that of many young Suns players hoping to earn their place in the league. His connection with new Suns head coach Jordan Ott, who helped prolong Carroll\u2019s playing career during their time together in Brooklyn, adds another layer of continuity and trust within the organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen DC in multiple spots, as a player and now as a coach,\u201d Ott said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to see it, you\u2019re going to feel it. When he talks to guys, he has a different way about him. He has a positive outlook on life. \u2026 I\u2019m lucky to have him here. We\u2019re lucky to have him here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carroll\u2019s own coaching journey started just a few years ago as an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022. But, his shift in mindset was shaped before that \u2013 thanks in part to Ott.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was actually my player development guy when I was in Brooklyn,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cHe helped my career, helped me extend it a little bit longer. \u2026 He gave me a real, genuine conversation. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, every NBA player \u2013 when you get to the end \u2013 you think you\u2019ve still got it. Sometimes you\u2019ve got to help the next generation. He kind of talked me off that limb.\u201d<\/p>\n
That conversation didn\u2019t just help Carroll accept the end of his playing career, it planted the seeds for his transition into coaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all lined up, right,\u201d Carroll said. \u201c(Ott) changed my way of thinking. \u2026 He\u2019s thinking outside the box. I used to be kind of a traditional thinker, but now being around him, you\u2019ve got to think differently. The NBA changes all the time. He tries to change before it changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Years later, that connection with Ott has carried over to Phoenix. Carroll is now taking on a leadership role in the Summer League \u2013 a proving ground he knows intimately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just told (the players) there\u2019s going to be a lot of information thrown at you in a short period of time,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to make mistakes. You\u2019ve just got to play as hard as you can. I always live by the quote: \u2018Hard work is a talent.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Carroll once occupied a similar position to many of the Suns\u2019 Summer league players: fringe rotation guys, late draft picks and young athletes looking to leave a mark. And with Carroll now guiding them, that shared struggle resonates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited,\u201d said Oso Ighodaro, a second-year forward on the Suns. \u201cAnytime you get a vet \u2013 a winning player \u2013 that can come back and give more to the game, I\u2019m trying to pick his brain as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Summer League players are learning a lot from Carroll, Dunn said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a very chill, laid-back guy,\u201d Dunn said. \u201cHe\u2019s also a trash talker, which I like. Him and coach Ott have been giving us tips on the fly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carroll is using that credibility to push players such as Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach, an explosive wing and a developing big, as they try to establish themselves in the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cRasheer, he\u2019s a freak athlete,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to help him along the path: help him with his shooting, help him understand the game, help him on the defensive side of the ball. The sky\u2019s the limit for that kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Maluach?<\/p>\n
\u201cKhaman\u2019s been great,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cEven when he\u2019s tired, he\u2019s communicating on the back line. He\u2019s been great for this group.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the exact kind of intangible Carroll himself used to build his own career. Ott still remembers how Carroll made himself valuable with his mastery of the little things \u2013 cutting, defending, rebounding, doing the dirty work that doesn\u2019t usually make highlight reels.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis path \u2013 not only his style on the court, but first-round pick, really didn\u2019t get much playing time during his rookie deal. He had to find his own way,\u201d Ott said. \u201cThen he was able to have some playoff success, and his career really took off. So his path is easily relatable to these guys. \u2026 He took a couple of bounces.\u201d<\/p>\n
That relatability, coupled with Carroll\u2019s authenticity, has made a strong impression in Phoenix. As he prepares to lead the Suns into the Summer League, Carroll is determined to instill the same grit that earned him his nickname all those years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I\u2019ve been in their position before,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cSo I just try to tell them: Go out there and compete, be who you are. Just try to play as hard as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn, right, rehearses a movement with Suns NBA Summer League coach DeMarre Carroll at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162723,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[7,18658,30555,3991,6,3494,30556,11328,2065,472,30557,4045,2028,4909,604],"class_list":{"0":"post-162722","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix-suns","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-demarre-carroll","10":"tag-demarre-carroll-summer-league-coach","11":"tag-jordan-ott","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nba-summer-league","14":"tag-nba-summer-league-las-vegas","15":"tag-oso-ighodaro","16":"tag-phoenix","17":"tag-phoenix-suns","18":"tag-phoenix-suns-summer-league","19":"tag-phoenixsuns","20":"tag-rasheer-fleming","21":"tag-ryan-dunn","22":"tag-suns"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114833503475659407","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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