The Phoenix Suns continue to defy expectations, with their most recent victory over the Portland Trail Blazers moving them to 9-6 on the season. To achieve this without one of their best players in Grayson Allen is even more impressive, while we've barely seen Jalen Green as a result of a hamstring injury.
Suns have committed to a style of play no matter the results.
The main reason that this group has been competitive - no matter what this hater says - is because they have gotten behind the vision of head coach Jordan Ott. Some credit also has to go to owner Mat Ishbia as well, not words that have been said often in Phoenix, for making the right hire and getting out of the way to let him do his thing.
Suns first-year coach Jordan Ott on keeping his emotions in check during games: "Some nights, it feels like I need more energy to lift the group. Some nights, I'm calming some guys down. At some point, you got to get to the line and not go over the line. All of us. We've got to… pic.twitter.com/3LOqTMMPPN
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 19, 2025
Ishbia also promised that the Suns would be a hard-nosed defensive outfit, and he has been proven correct on that statement. To have made it publicly prior to the season is because he and coach Ott are aligned, and the team are benefitting as a result. This is also proof that if you commit to a style of play from day one, you can have some level of success.
The Suns aren't going to win a championship this season, but the 112.6 points they're allowing per game is good for 10th in the league and ensures they compete every night. Their schedule is about to get harder, and certain opponents will be able to take advantage of their style of play, but right now it is working.
Building an identity on that end is leading to wins now and will ensure when the time comes to compete in the future - assuming coach Ott is still in place - that the foundation will already be in place. This has also had the added benefit of keeping Devin Booker engaged, and he is turning in one of the best seasons of his career to this point.
He cuts a happy and relaxed figure, far removed from the person we saw when Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal were in town. He's also giving his team a career high 27.8 points per game, while his 6.9 assists are right around his average for the last few seasons. It makes sense to build a defensive structure around elite scoring talents, and that is without including Green.
Really though it is far less common than it should be to have owner, front office, coaching staff and star player on the same page about where a team is at in their development. Only the Suns have achieved this, at a time when more veteran groups talk about how long it can take to build that level of cohesion.