Mat Ishbia's praise of Mercury might just have been dig at previous Suns team

There's no doubt that the Phoenix Suns are going to have to dramatically change how they play in the coming years if they want to have any hope of being contenders again. Which is why they made such huge roster changes this offseason, while also hiring a first time head coach in Jordan Ott who it is hoped will also build a culture in The Valley.

This will most certainly start on the defensive end, with a whole host of new faces being brought in to help. Dillon Brooks will quarterback that part of the court, while Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, Mark Williams, Collin Gillespie and even rookie Khaman Maluach are going to help massively. The Suns can rise from their self-created downfall, and it will begin with stopping opponents scoring so much.

Owner Mat Ishbia praises Mercury for doing what Suns don't.

The duality of owner Mat Ishbia's time overseeing the Suns and Mercury has been fascinating, because of the contrasting fortunes of both. Whereas the Suns have regressed massively since he took over in 2023 - leading to the departures of both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal this summer - the Mercury are quietly building a contender.

The trades for Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally were huge in helping to achieve this, and you can liken that to moving for Durant. Landing DeWanna Bonner felt fortuitous after her failed stint with the Indiana Fever - and despite being a veteran heavy team - that is where the similarities end. That's because not only do the stars fit better for the Mercury they actually try every game as well.

Which led to the above social media post from Ishbia after another Mercury win, with the choice of wording used very interesting. Playing hard and competing for 40 minutes are the very things that the Durant/Booker led version of the Suns did not do for two full seasons, and most of the time it felt like they were just waiting for the playoffs to begin to turn it on.

That they only won 36 games last season and didn't even make the play-in tournament was an embarrassment, and that was the catalyst for the massive changes we have recently seen. The Mercury currently boast the third best defensive rating in the league at 99.9, a number the Suns could only dream about even taking the fact there's double the amount of opponents into account.

Mentioning "all of the little things" required to win again feels like pointed language, because turning the ball over and laughing on the bench when getting blown out were again staples of the Suns last season. Maybe we're reading too much into this, Ishbia is allowed to praise the Mercury any way that he wants. They are winning by doing what the previous Suns never wanted to though, that's a fact.