No matter how the tenure of Phoenix Suns' head coach Jordan Ott ends up unfolding, he will always be able to say he won his first game in charge. The 120-116 victory over the Sacramento Kings also featuring a 20 point comeback, as coach Ott's defensive identity came to the fore and was carried out by new recruits like Dillon Brooks.
Not that Brooks was perfect on both ends of the court, but it was clear immediately just how much this group is going to fight for each other, and their head coach. More surprising was the fact that coach Ott kept his rotation to 10 players, despite 11 new faces heading to The Valley this offseason and expectations as low as they've been in years.
Coach Ott handed DNPs to all three rookies taken this summer.
The most surprising aspect in all of this was the fact that no rookie saw a single minute of action. This despite center Khaman Maluach having a nice preseason, with the 19-year-old already looking like somebody who can make a difference for small bursts on the defensive end. He's massive and he's got the motor to match, but coach Ott wasn't interested in using him.
The availability of Mark Williams likely had something to do with that, and it was great to see him be able to play 24 minutes and make a difference. With Oso Ighodaro starting and Nick Richards also getting spot minutes, this was not the game to give Maluach his first taste of action. It was also a clever move on the part of Ott and his coaching staff.
Despite much being made of Maluach, Koby Brea and Rasheer Fleming this offseason, the Suns didn't need any of them to win this game. That is going to fuel them to want to force their way into the rotation, but the truth is veterans such as Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are doing enough right now to hold onto the minutes they've been given.
Perhaps we can call this "the Steve Clifford impact", as he was famously against playing youngsters when he was a head coach. But it is clear from the way coach Ott used O'Neale, Williams, Richards, Nigel Hayes-Davis and Collin Gillespie to make up his bench unit that he is in no way ready to turn this team over to the youngsters and allow them to make the mistakes that they're going to.
The Suns have no incentive to tank this season, while coach Ott is surely going to try and win as many games as possible to prove he is the right man for the job long-term. So to keep the rookies waiting for their chance that bit longer - while coming back from 20 points down to win a game - is playing the situation wonderfully. A great way to keep healthy competition alive in The Valley.