The Phoenix Suns are currently sitting at 6-5 on the still young NBA season, although they are going to have to try and carve out some more wins without Jalen Green. We only got to see him for a game and some change, but what a wonderful experience it was. Green will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks at least with another hamstring issue, but the Suns aren't feeling sorry for themselves.
If anything this gives head coach Jordan Ott - who has hit the ground running in The Valley - a chance to lean into an element of the game that he clearly enjoys. It would be better if he also had Dillon Brooks available more frequently to help him build out his vision, but with Green gone, the Suns are going to lean into what can become their superpower.
Suns will become a defensive-minded group once more.
We've seen shades of this already, most notably in successfully shutting down Victor Wembanyama to the point he hasn't been the same player since as they beat the San Antonio Spurs, but the arrival of Green changed things. He's such a good offensive player, that alongside Devin Booker you have to let the both of them cook.
Now though it will be back to the defensive end coach Ott will go to try and win games, and there is reason to believe he will be successful doing it. Surprisingly this starts with both Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale, who coach Ott has been showcasing more on the defensive end and who are seeing their trade value trend upwards as a result.
It was surprising to see both spend some time guarding Wembanyama in that victory over the Spurs, but swarming him with smaller guys worked well. Then there is center Mark Williams, who has quietly been exactly what the franchise needed him to be when they parted with a pair of first round picks to acquire him in the offseason.
Right now the team as a whole sit just above league average in points conceded each night (14th, 114.1), and that number should shrink with Green sitting and role players getting more run. When Williams is out there however, the Suns have the second best defensive rating in the entire league at 104.6.
Not only that, but Williams is posting a net rating when you factor in his offensive contributions of plus 14.2. To compare that to last season - and show how coach Ott has already gotten the best out of the big man - he had a net rating of minus 12.7, and much of that was because of the dreadful defensive rating he posted with the Charlotte Hornets (118.9).
The roster does also boast the likes of Collin Gillespie and even Isaiah Livers, guys who are giving coach Ott good minutes defensively when called upon, even if it doesn't always show up on the box score. The team is going to have to change its approach with Green out as Booker again becomes the focal point, don't be surprised when that leads to improved defensive play.