Prior to beating the Los Angeles Lakers 113-110 behind two grizzled veterans, the Phoenix Suns were on the slide and many of their fans were looking for somebody to blame.
Step forward head coach Jordan Ott, who only a few short weeks ago and prior to the roster getting hit by injuries was receiving some legitimate Coach of the Year buzz.
Coach Ott is wrong scapegoat as season spirals
Somebody needed to be blamed for the effort each night falling below acceptable standards, and even though the coach can't play the game for them, the criticism was sent his way.
I'm crying look at Jordan Ott he had no clue with what Brooks was doing 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/L9tWKsTpyJ
— 5 Fouls Book (@PrimeDBook) February 6, 2026
Yet any fan who has watched this team all season will know that Ott is actually responsible for so much of the good that has happened in Phoenix.
He managed to get the Suns to play around league average offense largely without Jalen Green, and right now he's navigating a stretch without Devin Booker.
Dillon Brooks received All-Star shouts for the first time in his career, and although coach Ott can't take all of the credit for that, he puts him in position regularly to play a bigger role than anybody expected.
That Brooks is also out with a broken hand and the Suns managed to beat the Lakers again speaks to the wonderful job coach Ott is doing, and the defensive end is where he has created an identity.
The Suns being a top 10 defense for most of the campaign so far, despite having Royce O'Neale as their starting four.
He's been wonderful, but on most nights he is giving up some size to opponents and defending at an elite level is not what he is known for.
Collin Gillespie is the perfect Ott player, while many believe Haywood Highsmith will be as well once he is healthy and can play. Grayson Allen is excelling no matter how coach Ott uses him.
So although it is disappointing to see the Suns fall into a play-in race having played so well all season, fans are getting annoyed at the wrong person.
Think how much worse this would be if Frank Vogel or Mike Budenholzer were on the sidelines, and understand that Phoenix is building something long-term with Ott.
Once he has a fully healthy roster to work with once more, we are going to see that getting them to this position was no fluke, and that the best is yet to come.