The Phoenix Suns begin their sprint for the playoffs with a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, and they are going to enter the contest with a clean bill of health (minus Dillon Brooks).
Sitting in the seventh seed in the Western Conference, the franchise has a chance to be one of the more improbable teams to make the postseason in recent years.
Jordan Ott is x-factor in Suns' pursuit of the playoffs
If they do manage to make it to the NBA's second season proper, then first year head coach Jordan Ott is going to be the main reason why.
The Coach of the Year buzz around him has been minimum, but those who are in support of him have been vocal.
Unfortunately for Ott, and it is something Devin Booker has had to contend with without Kevin Durant this season, he's just not in a big enough market to have consistent eyes on what he is doing each night.
Which if you have been paying attention, is turn a group that does not have one elite defender outside of Brooks (and even he tows the line sometimes), into the 10th best defense in the league.
Their 112.7 points conceded each night made all the more impressive by the fact they are just above league average (114.5) in offensive rating each night as well.
That kind of balance across both ends of the court with limited resources is the key reasons the Suns have exceeded expectations, as coach Ott has drawn up plays to get the best out of Collin Gillespie, Grayson Allen, Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea.
Even Isaiah Livers is quietly rebuilding his reputation in The Valley when healthy, and really those five names mentioned shouldn't be nearly as important to a legitimate playoff team as they have been.
Obviously Booker is the face, and it has helped massively that center Mark Williams has remained healthy as well. A tough decision awaits the organization with him.
To do all of this mostly without Jalen Green has been nothing short of remarkable, and to get this kind of buy-in from a largely veteran group for a first time head coach speaks to the way he has connected with this roster.
Coach Ott can't play the game each night for this team, but he sure can draw up the kind of schemes that is getting the best out of what looked like a limited roster on both ends of the court.
Should the Suns make the playoffs, and at 32-23 they have a real shot, then coach Ott will be the reason why.