Hands up if you're a fan of Phoenix Suns' head coach Jordan Ott. Yeah, we see you. Coach Ott has been exactly what the franchise has needed in his first season with the franchise, his desire to quickly build an identity on both end of the courts bringing fans back in their droves.
Jordan Ott a dark horse for Coach of the Year.
If the former top assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers can keep the kind of momentum that he has managed through one-quarter of the season (although he's not the MVP of that particular segment), then it will be hard to deny what is a steadily growing Coach of the Year case.
Owner Mat Ishbia promised this season that the team would have a lot more fight and not be a laughing stock defensively. Despite looking like a group that would struggle to win games, coach Ott has them playing above league average on both ends of the court.
I miss him (Jordan Ott) dearly pic.twitter.com/gwMLqTAp7F
— Jaylon Tyson Fan Club (@IsaacOkoroFan) December 1, 2025
He's also cleverly managed to build a defensive core out of players like Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale, a pair that weren't know for high level defending in the past. Collin Gillespie is having a brilliant campaign ,and although he deserves most of the credit for that, coach Ott did have the awareness to promote him to the starting five.
Another smart decision was leaning on proven veterans to help win games, which the Suns have to do as they don't have their own draft picks in the coming years. This might stunt the growth of rookies such as Khaman Maluach, although the smart money is on coach Ott figuring out how best to use them as well.
Managing to do all of this in 20 or so games, while also keeping Devin Booker onside, is fantastic work for a guy who has never been in this position before. If we're talking about expectations for a group versus how they have performed this season, coach Ott has to be in with a shout here.
The Suns have even gotten some mainstream media attention recently, although that alone will not be enough for any real Coach of the Year buzz. But to have coach Ott even be talked about by fans in Phoenix as a possibility tells you what kind of job he has done here.
Best of all, he looks like the long-term solution in The Valley to a coaching search that in truth has been ongoing since Monty Williams was given his marching orders. Jordan Ott doesn't need any accolades for fans to know how important he is to their franchise, but it sure would be nice.