The Phoenix Suns have undergone a massive makeover this offseason, one that might just have concluded with Bradley Beal's buyout and subsequent two finger salute as he made for the exit door. If there are to be more roster moves - and now that the team are under both the first and second cap there could be - none will surely rival losing both Beal and Durant in quick succession.
Jordan Ott is the first time head coach tasked with keeping Devin Booker engaged long enough for this re-tooling of the roster to take shape, and that is going to be a tall order. The roster still doesn't have a point guard, while the overlap of skills between Booker and Jalen Green in theory is a good problem to have, but might be different in practice.
What players Ott goes with will immediately make him a success.
One of the greatest weaknesses of the two previous leading men in The Valley - Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel - was there unwillingness and inability to use the right players at the right time. You can't even say the kind of players they had were the problem either - and while Jusuf Nurkic was a disaster under Budenholzer - Vogel built an above average defensive team with the same center.
The NBA guys over at The Athletic recently attempted to draft the bleakest futures in the league - and although the Suns have done a nice job that nobody expected this offseason - the reality of the next few years is still hard to get away from. As they discuss below though - if Ott can figure out who his guys are and when to use them - then this group will surprise some people next season.
It would be fair to say neither Budenholzer or Vogel got the best out of Grayson Allen or Josh Okogie for example, while last season was a hugely disappointing one for Tyus Jones in Phoenix. Had those coaches been less stubborn and tried something different - such as using Bol Bol more frequently for example - who knows how differently those seasons could have ended.
It wouldn't have been with a championship, but even winning a playoff round or game - neither of which happened in Durant's two full seasons with the Suns - would have been nice. Ott has different kinds of players to work with, and in some way Vogel and Budenholzer would be envious of the younger talent with more defensive upside.
If Ott knows when to lean more on Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro - who look like they want the responsibility - that would be a nice platform to build off. Similarly rookies Khaman Maluach and Koby Brea are going to have their moments, but the rookie wall exists for a reason. Then there is choosing when to go with Green as the primary scorer, and give Booker a rest.
If the Suns somehow end up adding this guy then it would be yet another challenge for Ott to solve, but it would also give the Suns another young player with upside. There is less pressure on him to win now - another key difference from the past - but the quicker he can successfully get to grips with what he's working with, the better the Suns will be next season.